SW_NOVEMBER_11.pdf - Apparel Resources

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2 StitchWorld NOVEMBER 2011

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NOVEMBER 2011 StitchWorld 5

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vol. ix • issue 9

NewsTrack 12 TExpORT OVERsEas ExpaNds iTs

pROducTiON capaciTy By 10%

8 TEchNOlOgy pROVidERsTechBytes

TechTalk20 iNdusTRy WaiTiNg fOR ORdERs as

MaRkET slOWs dOWN…

30 TEchNOlOgy lEVEls fOR sEquiN aTTachMENT

44 paTENTs iN gaRMENT iNdusTRy TEchNOlOgy iN auTOMaTic BOBBiN chaNgER BOOsTs pROducTiViTy

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ExTENsiVE shOWcasE Of laTEsT TEchNOlOgy

Barudan BEDYHE-ZQ-C06 with dual sequin system

Vinod Krishnamurthy Iyer, MD, Mimaki Kanphor India Pvt. Ltd. with the Tx400-1800D digital textile printer

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From the Editor’s Desk

Editor-in-ChiefDEEPAK MOHINDRA

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http://stitchworldmagazine.blogspot.com

Whatever people may say, Labour is available… but then not in close vicinity to where the factories are located today.

The fact that the garment industry requires skilled labour which is paid only marginally higher than the unskilled labour makes it an even more unattractive proposition for the workers to migrate to cities. Then there is NREGA which has in some ways made workers seek something closer home then venture out to the metros for work.

So what to do?

Take the factories to where the worker is… Simple.

Is it as simple as it sounds? Certainly not, since one requires not only the workers but also the management to run a factory. And for them the living quarters, schools for their children, good hospital to handle emergencies and other innumerable facilities to motivate relocation and not to forget higher salaries, are the prerequisites. At least till the locals are not trained enough to takeover.

AEPC is very vigorously working to get land allocated in Bihar with backing of almost all the big companies and why not, that’s where the workers are and under Nitish Kumar Bihar is on the growth path with one of the lowest crime rates and above all it’s a real (estate) investment which today or tomorrow will pay up for the losses if any.

Smart move… and true.

The manufacturing policy is finally cleared by the Cabinet… Congratulations at the new beginning, I really liked the concept of sinking funds and insurance for the job losses… There is also major thrust on training and skill development. I will have a detailed discussion on the policy in our next issue…

Moving on, Digital Printing had a hall to itself at ITMA. All big companies were present with their latest technology and some as a prototype. Each and every company is focused on giving speed to the product but then the same was challenged by others. The distracters had also some valid points, the registration at that speed, the ink quality not matching to the standards were some issues.

However, it was interesting to see the evolution of Digital Printing. A hot category no doubt… We have covered in detail what the digital print industry had to offer at ITMA in this issue. A few other innovative technologies are also reviewed.

The industry is going through a rough patch with orders slowing down… we thought it was the right time to talk to some buyers and exporters on ground realities. I am sure you will all enjoy the interesting observations… Everyone agrees that improving efficiencies is one of the core ways to stay competitive and in this issue of SW three industry experts from around the world share their experiences, while suggesting ways to enhance productivity.

Deepak MohindraEditor-in-Chief

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Earlier machine suppliers were selling generic machines and garment manufacturers had to pick and choose right combinations from multiple brands necessary for a particular product line. Now leading brands are selling complete set of machines specific to a product, like Vibemac for casual trouser or jeans, CF Italia for lingerie, Duerkopp for suits, etc. Do you find the new approach better or do the garment manufacturers run a risk of putting all the eggs in one basket?

The global garment manufacturing scene has gone from developing to the developed phase in the past decade, and the shift is still in process in some regions. Apparel manufacturers who were once striving for a firm stand in the global apparel manufacturing scene by making numerous variety of garments have now achieved the same and gone ahead and mastered their niche from the ever-expanding product basket. Complementing the same trend, machine manufacturers and suppliers who once categorised their products in narrow categories of lockstitch, chainstitch, overlock and so on, have started providing a set of machines and technologies for manufacturing a specific product line. However, the shift has been accompanied with its set of complexities which poses some risks for a garment manufacturer, as when a company buys a set of machines from a common manufacturer there is high dependency on a single brand or dealer from the spare parts to the training to the after-sales-services. This development has made the industry to rethink about its approach and tread carefully. StitchWorld for this segment of TechBytes probes the same.

TECH BYTES

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The trend or approach to specialize and cater to a specific product line is not completely new and has been there in existence with all the big brands and machine manufacturers for over 20 years. It is only now that smaller companies/machine manufacturers are regrouping to give complete solutions. The ideology and logic behind this trend has been the limited specialization of technology manufacturers and providers, as a single brand does not manufacture everything which is apt for an apparel manufacturer and as such manufacturers need to recognize the brands specific to every machine and product category. Realizing this, every top apparel manufacturer has developed complex matrices for judging and evaluating the right machine manufacturer which would suit their needs.

However, when we look at the other side of the story even if an apparel manufacturer buys a complete package from any machine brand, the cost of ownership increases substantially and there exists high risk as they are totally relying on a single brand for a set of high-end expensive machines. The machine, quite advanced in nature needs to be supported by a strong after-sales-service system, and

in its absence people are bound to register adverse losses due to regular breakdowns and absence of skill within the company for handling these issues. Secondly with 50 machines of a single brand, the probability of getting a defective one is very high.

ASHISH GROVERVice President, Silver Spark Apparel Limited (Raymond Group Company), Bangalore

The two approaches mentioned, the earlier one being manufacturing of machines under a very specific category like lockstitch, chainstitch, etc. and the latest one being the segmentation of all the machines under a particular category for manufacturing a specific sewn product, according to me both the approaches are and were right according to the time period they were in. What the apparel industry needs to understand and observe is the shift which has occurred in the past years, which has matured in the garment manufacturing scenario around the world.

Talking about the time 20 years back, the garment industry was just opening up to the professionalism and lot of first generation enterprises were being

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setup. Then the garment manufactures were aiming to setup flexible units capable of handling multiple products in accordance with the market requirements; therefore they were relying on machines which would support them in achieving that flexibility by possessing the ability to do multiple operations for a varied product category.

In today’s time the same exporter who was following the above mentioned trend has now mastered a niche from this vast product basket and wants to make specialized product only. Therefore, complementing the same, the machine manufacturers are now selling a complete set of machines specific for a sewn product. Hence for an apparel manufacturer following the same trend, it would be better to have a complete set of specialized machines from one brand but coupled with various aspects of spares availability on short notice, after-sales-service, inventory of special parts and of greater importance is the training given to the in-house mechanics for understanding the new technology.

ROMI AGARWAL CEO, Alok Industries Limited (Apparel Division), Mumbai

The trends and the shift that has been mentioned is quite irrelevant with respect to the knitwear manufacturing sector in Tirupur as no machine supplier or manufacturer is talking about a complete package yet. So as of now this question is not an issue. But if this happens, then we definitely have a problem when the buyer insists on buying a particular brand of machine as this could go against us on the negotiation, hence increase the capital investment in the machines. With everyone offering a package, the flexibility to buy individual high-tech machine is diminished as a whole set wouldn’t be required by all but a single high-tech machine would be.

MILTON AMBROSE JOHN Managing Director, Cotton Blossom (India) Pvt. Ltd., Tirupur

In my opinion the new approach is better and much more professional in nature. With the garment manufacturers slowly moving towards manufacturing a specialized product category, this approach would support this transition which is also I would say the need of the hour. In fact this is the way forward for the Indian apparel manufacturing sector as in the rest of the world product stabilization has come with unexpected gains. The brands by providing

machines for manufacturing a specific product further helps us in striving for quality products, as the machines have been manufactured by a single brand no variation exists in term of their parameters and quality.

However the trend discussed here is still being followed by the garment manufacturers in the Delhi/NCR region, according to me they should seriously think about going for specialized machinery for manufacturing a niche product.

ANIMESH SAXENAManaging Director, Neetee Clothing, Gurgaon

The trend that we are witnessing and is being followed by the technology and machine manufacturers for the apparel industry is quite subjective in nature with regard to the garment manufacturers of today’s times. As the brands are offering not just high-end machines, but rather systems and overall solutions for a specific product category, however if we take a look at the apparel manufacturing scene in India, the northern region is all about high-fashion garments and the south being more product-specific with a niche category. Therefore, in the northern region people would still go for individual machines due to the nature of manufacturing, i.e. alternating products and does not require full-fledged systems, however it would be the other way round in the southern manufacturing region in India. Therefore one cannot say that the previous trend has been ruled out by the newer one, however both co-exist together and the deciding factor being the products manufactured by the organization.

RAKESH GUPTAManaging Director, Scorpios Apparels, New Delhi

Tech BytesTech Bytes

TechBytes StitchWorld December 2011 Question

Vertical integration is considered as a way to increase competitiveness in the apparel and textile business. What are the perceived advantages of vertical integration – Cheaper products? Better quality? Quicker delivery? While only a few organizations treat every department together as a single business entity, maximum treat them as separate business entities. Can the perceived advantages be achieved if all are treated as separate entities or as a whole? Is vertical integration the way ahead for striving in the future…

Write your comments to us by 20th November 2011 at: [email protected] or post your views online through our website: www.stitchworld.net/techbytes

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Machinery and Equipments form a very integral part of technical infrastructure that influences production of any manufacturer. For uninterrupted performance we need to judiciously select and maintain these machines. In accordance with the issues discussed under the TechBytes segment, StitchWorld conducted a survey among industry informed members to gain insights into their experiences and observations while dealing with dealers and manufacturers of high-end technology. With everyone moving towards advanced technologies and machines, there is requirement of a strong yet flexible support system for sustaining these solutions and helping the manufacturers in reaping maximum benefits.

A total of 75% of people feel that the presence of offices of machine manufacturers in different cities has improved the service level of agents.

76% of the respondents claim that the technical expertise available with the local agents is not satisfactory in solving problems of automated machines, as automated workstations with high-tech features are prone to breakdown and since expertise is not available with local agents, the mechanic needs to be flown from abroad, causing losses in forms of time and money.

The training given to operators and in-house maintenance people for smooth functioning of the machine is not adequate as mentioned by 77% of the respondents.

77% respondents have witnessed a significant reduction in manpower and skill requirements of a particular operation subsequent to adapting various deskilling solutions and technologies. However, all respondents agreed that this does not mean that the wages of the operators working on these high-end machines would be lesser than that earned by highly-skilled operators working on an ordinary machine.

Although no scientific proof exists, majority of respondents also felt that German and Japanese machines are far more superior to their Chinese counterpart in terms of durability and performance. German machines are robust and require less maintenance than Chinese machines. Hence down time is less. Some respondents also felt that Chinese machines have less speed and sewing finish is also inferior.

Tech-Survey

Tech BytesTech Bytes

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In the period Jan.-June 2011 exports from India to the EU grew 19.55% though volumes declined (-) 3.09%. The average UVR for Indian exports to the EU was Euro 21.46 (per kg of fabric equivalent) as against the EU average of Euro 16.21 (per kg of fabric equivalent).

India showed good growth in exports of dresses category to the EU in the first six months with increase in both volumes and value of 10.14% and 21.82%, respectively. Trousers too saw growth in both volumes and value of 7.87% and 26.35%, respectively.

In the period Jan.-July 2011, US imports saw a growth of 13.09%, while the volumes increased 2.36% over the same period last year. The average UVR for imports into the US was $ 3.16 in the defined period.

Indian exports have remained on an upward projectile and while value of exports has seen an increase to the US in the first seven months of 12.29%, the quantities however decreased (-) 0.26%. The average UVR was up at $ 3.56 from $ 3.16 last year.

India: Texport Overseas Expands its Production Capacity by 10% USA: NAVIS TubeTex to

Introduce Pak Nit e3 with CQC System at ITMA

Bangalore-based Texport is a company on the

move, over the last one year the company has expanded manufacturing facilities by adding 500 new machines. 300 machines from the added capacity have been installed in a new unit. “We are doing the same product category, as it is not prudent to change your product category in these competitive times, but we are going up the value chain. If one doesn’t go up the value chain, one cannot survive in Bangalore. It’s about upgrading the products, better buyer, better fabric, better accessories, more detailed sewing in garment, more processing in garment, both in dry and wet processing,” said Samir Goenka, Managing Director, Texport Overseas talking to StitchWorld.

According to Samir, the company has adopted lean manufacturing systems. It’s operator-machine ratio and currently is less than 1:1. “For every 100 sewing machines, we have 100 operators and no helpers. In this way we have brought down the workforce by 5%,” informs Samir who feels that enhancement of productivity can be only derived with better management of capacities. “If one is underbooked or overbooked then the company is in trouble. Controlling raw material inventory by storing the correct amount and quality of raw material, so that shop floor doesn’t suffer helps in better productivity. Half of the reason for low productivity is not at the shop floor, it’s outside the shop floor,” he adds. Samir also

emphasizes on planned cutting of garment before going to machine in which buyer’s cooperation is desired as the changes cannot be done at the machine stage.

Standing at a turnover of Rs. 360 crores, this year the company is expecting to touch Rs. 410 crores with a growth of 15 to 20% YoY. “For me the challenge is not growing my top line, it is charity for our buyer’s and suppliers. Challenge lies to grow proportionally your bottom line. Somehow the exporters in India are missing that point. We are healthily growing our bottom line. We are in the top 3 companies with respect to bottom line growth,” claims Samir. With total 10 units, Texport’s unit value realization has gone up by 20%. “We wish to cater to higher level of customers, more detailed products and not basic products,” concludes Samir.

GAP Inc. that taps environmental responsibility to every aspect of their business released its fifth social and environmental responsibility report that detailed its efforts and progress from the year 2009-10, recently. The report highlighted the brand’s collaborative work to improve its supply chain, including its work with “SAI’s Social Fingerprint Program” to help its vendors measure, and then improve upon meeting standards. The brand embarked on an environmental footprint assessment in 2008 and is encouraging its vendors to use Social International’s Social Fingerprint Training Centre and its suppliers to adopt SAI’s SA8000 certification.

One of GAP Inc.’s key accomplishments in 2010 towards its supply chain efforts was the introduction of Human Rights Policy that strengthened their existing global codes of vendor and business conduct to help ensure fair and respectful treatment to their workers.

USA: GAP releases SER Report to improve supplies

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Texport overseas will be adding 500 new machines

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Cambodia: Country is struggling to establish itself as an Ethical Sourcing Base

India: New Delhi Export House adding 500 sewing machines

India: A.G. Fashions setting up a new factory for producing ladies jackets

family of four with basic necessities is 93 US $ per month.

In several of the branded factories, unhygienic working conditions prevails which includes multiple occupational health and safety violations, overcrowding, excess hours of work and poor ventilation leading to fainting of workers regularly. Reports of mass fainting at factories is on the rise, most recent being in August when over 100 workers fell ill in a Cambodian garment factory. When probed, Chea Mony, President of the Free Trade Union, one of Cambodia’s biggest independent unions said, “Unhygienic conditions and a lack of oxygen in the factory led to the fainting. The factory buildings are built too close to each other, which prevents enough oxygen from getting into the facilities.”

In spite of reports of child abuse appearing time and again, a large number of international players are continuing their production in factories here. In 2006, a Danish and Swedish newspaper criticized H&M’s textile factory Gold Fame in Cambodia for employing children aged 14-15 who were undernourished. While Puma came under scanner as over 100 workers fainted in the factory in April. Brands like Nike and GAP were also criticized for employing child labour in their manufacturing units, stated a BBC report.

Coming up as a low cost option for developing

fashionable products, Cambodia is undoubtedly being eyed by players worldwide for reduced production costs. Though developing at a rapid pace the garment industry here is the third largest industry after agriculture and tourism, sending finished products from their factories to many Western giants such as Puma, H&M, GAP, Nike, Adidas and Inditex. The breach of the standards of the brand included excessive hours of work as well as multiple occupational health and safety violations that were taking place in the factory.

As per statistics from the Ministry of Commerce, exports from Cambodia totalled US $ 1.86 billion between January and June, a 32 per cent year-on-year increase from the same period in 2010. Making up 81% of Cambodia’s total exports, garment exports from the country are growing consistently with increased distribution of big players operating from the US and China. But this huge success of the Cambodian garment industry covers up a lot of moral issues like long hours of work, water pollution, and child labour, meagre wages and near slavery conditions of the workers in the factories. According to reports the workers of the garment factories here get 30 cents per hour of work mounting up to 65 US $ per month while the average amount required to live for a

A.G. Fashion, Jaipur is going for expansion by

starting a new factory next year. “The construction work of the factory will start by the end of November this year and we are planning to install at least 100-150 advanced and efficient machines there,” informed Ashish Garg, Proprietor. The company is manufacturing women dresses, silk garments, scarves, pareos

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and jackets using cotton and silk fabric for both the mass and high-end markets. The new factory will be focusing on producing ladies jackets, which is a growth segment for the company.

Balancing exports between the mass and high-end markets is a strategy which has paid dividend because when the mass market is price senstive, the high-end market gives better prices.

New Delhi Export House, a Noida-based

company of 21 years and working with fashion- and quality-driven buyers like Marks & Spencer, Littlewoods, Shop Direct, Bay Trading, Ann-Harvey, Kaliko, J.D. Williams, White Stuff, TFNC, Sainsbury, Envy, Dash, Nova to name a few, is going for a major expansion,

adding 500 stitching machines to its capacities.

“We are currently producing 90,000 to 1,00,000 pieces/month from two factories spread over an area of 70,000 sq. ft. with 600 machines with a turnover of more than 13 million dollars,” informed Pranav Uppal, MD. New Delhi Export House in conversation with StitchWorld.

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Apparel Training & Design Centre (ATDC),

the training wing of AEPC, and one of India’s largest vocational training networks for the apparel sector which provides employable skills to youth, women and disadvantaged sections of the society, was recently awarded UK-India Skills Forum Award-2011 at the 4th Global Skill Summit 2011, under the Best Skill Provider – Government Funded Category.

Demonstrating an outstanding commitment to the skills agenda in India, which is amongst the biggest challenges India faces today, ATDC has supported the development of vocational and soft skills among the Indian citizens, both in cities and rural areas very effectively through its network of 25 ATDC-IGNOU Community Colleges and over 50 ATDC SMART Centres and Skill Camps with a pan

India: ATDC bags UK-India Skills Forum Award-2011 for its Commitment to Skill Development

India presence, according to FICCI and UKIERI (UK India Education and Research Institute), the co-organizers of the Global Skill Summit.

In her message, Rita Menon, Secretary, Ministry of Textiles conveyed that the award was an honour to the entire textile ministry, in the presence of large number of garment exporters.

The entire programme’s implementation was not without its fair share of hiccups and challenges. “It was really hard to convince the new trainees, even in remote villages to enter the garment trade because NREGA (National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme) and also the growing opportunities in other industries like infrastructure and retail which seem more lucrative to new entrants,” says Hari Kapoor, Vice-Chairman, AEPC and Coordinator SMART programme.

“Awards like these integrate the garment industry, textile ministry, AEPC and ATDC where all feel ownership, as if it is a joint effort. It is also a confirmation that we are moving on the right path,” says Dr D. O. Koshy, CEO, IAM. “As of now about 14,000 newcomers have been trained under the SMART scheme,” he added. He advised the Indian factories to inspire and involve their workers through small

humane steps like in Sri Lanka where factories keep a record of pregnant women working with them and look after their nutrition and diet needs. Steps like these attract the workers to factories. Dr Koshy also stressed the importance of design and development to move up the value chain, while sharing that there are plans to add ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and bio-matrix schemes to ATDC in future.

(L to R) H.K.L Magu, Hari Kapoor, Dr. Darlie O. Koshy, Ashok Rajani and Premal Udani with the award

India: Two new garmenting units for NSL Textiles, Adds 850 Sewing Machines

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Hyderabad based NSL Textiles Ltd. has

recently gone for major expansion. The company has put up one garment unit with capacity of 3000 pieces per day with 300 machines and also created an additional new unit at a different location for 6000 pieces per day with 550 machines.

Before putting up the new units, NSL had two units with combined machine strength of 1100 machines. The company is manufacturing cotton

shirts and tops and now it’s planning to produce bottoms/trousers. According to Ravi Advani, Head – Garments, good backup of fabrics, complimented

with good marketing resources are the key reasons to go for expansion. “Presently 20% of our garmenting production is for the export market, however with the expansion it is expected to grow to 70%,” states Ravi who is a B. Tech in Textile Technology and an MBA. He also carries a rich experience in apparel supply chain management, operations, design & product development, product merchandising and sourcing and has

worked with Arvind Brands, Raymond, and Aditya Birla Group.

For NSL, a Rs. 1500 crores Group with many streams of business like infrastructure, power, sugar, seeds and textiles, the garment manufacturing division is among the smallest, but with huge potential for growth. Presently the garmenting turnover of the company is Rs. 30 crores and in the next fiscal it is expecting to touch Rs. 70 crores.

Ravi Advani

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After the successful launch of iSupplier Intelligence in

China and Taiwan, Intertek, a leading provider of quality and safety services to a wide range of industries around the world brought the platform to India. iSupplier Intelligence builds a living profile of each supplier or manufacturer while Intertek validates and manages credible supplier’s profiles in a secure environment.

Intertek with its expertise resources, global reach and a network of more than 1,000 laboratories, offices and 30,000 people in over 100 countries around the world has created the iSupplier Intelligence Program as a cost-effective solution for buyers who require trusted information about the identities, capabilities and processes of their supplier partners when making purchasing decisions. This new platform minimizes risks and knowledge gaps for global buyers by enabling visibility into the different aspects of suppliers, which is vital for success in today’s global business environment.

Using iSupplier Intelligence, buyers can filter search options to select quality suppliers from all over the world with the required criterion. As the parameters to decide sourcing destinations is readily available through a transparent platform, the buyers save upon the costs and times consumed in the process, just by paying a membership fees of $ 999. “The more you know the lower the risk,” says David Horlock, Vice-President, Supplier Management Services, Intertek.

The ISI would not be just another database portal of suppliers and manufacturers

India: Intertek initiates ‘iSupplier Program’ to promote exporters to International buyers

as many more portals are already active online. “We have always been like policemen for the apparel industry, but with the iSupplier Intelligence initiative we aim at utilizing our extensive knowledge for the benefit of the apparel industry around the world,” averred Dilip Gianchandani, Regional Director – India and Bangladesh (Consumer Goods), Intertek India.

The suppliers would have to pay a membership amount of $ 299 just for setting up their profile with an additional amount of $ 1700 for achieving a “Verified by ISI” indication on their profile. Currently, the web-portal has a total of 44,000 profiles out of which 4,000 have

achieved the “Verified by ISI” mark. Apparel and footwear suppliers form about 24% of the total suppliers registered with ISI. “iSupplier Intelligence provides enhanced insight into the identities, policies and processes of supplier partners, enabling buyers to improve business performance and preserve their brand reputations by increasing the success potential of supplier relationship,” reasons Rajesh Saigal, Managing Director, Intertek India.

Intertek takes responsibility for the scope of verification on the purpose for buyers to conduct supplier screening. “The position of iSupplier Intelligence to supplier is a marketing function rather

than a sales function. That means it is a platform for them to expose their credentials to global buyers for business opportunity, whether the business opportunity would turn into a business contract, it is out of the service scope,” says Horlock. “In time, we would also be able to provide the supplier with important information on what buyers are looking for and how improving their profile will attract more traffic,” adds Horlock.

The supplier may also use the iSupplier profile as a linkage in emails and communications to its potential customers to build credibility, confidence and trust. For greater creditability buyer registration is subject to assessment and approval so that only legitimate buyers are registered.

The program is promoted through Intertek’s customer network with 5000 plus global buyers and 2, 00,000 suppliers, which is growing everyday by 2 million plus facility visits per year.

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David Horlock, Vice-President, Supplier Management Services, Intertek (centre) with his Indian colleagues including Dilip Gianchandani and exporters who received certifications for compliances under various International certifications

For the suppliers who have subscribed to the portal, they can proactively send promotional message to the buyer members through the platform. “The buyer member will use our platform for scoring a supplier; searching and sending business inquiry message to the selected suppliers. And we are organizing regular business matching activities from online screening through our platform to face-to-face business matching events. This would enhance a very close interaction between buyers and suppliers,” says David Horlock.

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Singapore: WFX PLM On-Demand have a new user Fashion Retailer “F J Benjamin”

Singapore listed F J Benjamin has signed on to

WFX On-Demand’s Web-Based PLM Solution to use across all their in-house brands and global vendor base. The Group is implementing WFX’s solution across their offices in Singapore, Hong Kong, Shenzhen and their vendor base across 4 countries.

F J Benjamin has numerous product development teams in place to manage different product categories but consolidated sourcing units and some common vendors. WFX will provide a single point of information across all product related activities across all brands and vendors. With this visibility, F J Benjamin will be able to source more efficiently, reduce product costs and achieve higher margins.

“Our business has grown significantly and as a result various business units have adopted various processes for product development. We needed a single system to manage all these disconnected processes and WFX is simple enough to help us achieve that goal,” Odile Benjamin, Co-Creative Director.

With over 50 years of expertise, F J Benjamin is an industry leader in brand

building and in developing retail and distribution networks for international luxury and lifestyle brands across Asia. Headquartered in Singapore and listed on the Singapore Exchange since 1996, F J Benjamin has offices in 8 cities worldwide including Australia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand. It is the importer and distributor of over 20 iconic brands including Banana Republic, Celine, Gap, Givenchy, Goyard, Guess, La Senza and RAOUL for which it operates over 160 retail stores/shop-in-shops and employs over 2,000 employees.

WFX is the leader in On-Demand Product Development Software – Web PLM and Web PDM – for the Fashion and Apparel Industry. Subscription-based pricing plans and fanatical support ensures customers get the quickest return on their investment.

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CORRIGENDUMIn the article “JPC Riding High on Vertically Integrated Operations: Success Remotely Connected”, StichWorld (October 2011), on page no. 24 the name of ‘Gerber’ automatic cutter and spreader machine was inadvertently mentioned in the photo caption instead of ‘Lectra’ machine actually being seen. The error is regretted.

– Editor

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India: Brother conducts a private exhibition, displaying latest technologies

Brother, the pioneer in lockstitch sewing

machines, recently organized an exhibition in the Delhi/NCR region displaying its latest offering for the apparel industry. The company also took the opportunity to guide the industry on how to get the best quality and productivity to stay competitive by using its machines. Representing Brother Tetsuya Uraguchi, General Manager, Industrial Sewing Machine, Brother said, “Presently the market is quite good for Brother and we hope to keep it that way by building a relationship with our customers and offering them high-quality products.”

The machines at display were the KE-430F, direct drive lockstitch bar-tacker, the BE-438F, direct drive lockstitch button-sewer, the direct drive electronic pattern sewer, BAS-300 series with the HE-800A electronic lockstitch button-holer and the SL-1110 single needle straight lockstitcher. However, apart from the ones

mentioned, the focus was on the two direct drive lock stitchers – the S-6200DD and the S-7200C. The S-7200C is equipped with the dry-head technology, which means minimum oil consumption and zero risk of staining. The duration of the grease that is necessary for the dry head has been enhanced to double that of the previous model S-7200B and six times that of the S-7200A. “With the machine operating in a year for 300 days, 10 hours a day at 4000 RPM, would require greasing once in about 10 years,” endorses Tetsuya. Brother being the pioneers in direct drive technology have launched the S-6200DD as a budget model for the Indian customers planning to go for this technology. Both the machines being direct-drive models have reduced energy consumptions by 50% when compared to the previous models.

Sharing his deep insight in the Indian market Tetsuya said, “The Indian market is

Tetsuya Uraguchi, General Manager, Industrial Sewing Machine and Rajesh Kumar, Project Manager Industrial Sewing Machine with the S-6200DD single needle direct drive straight lockstitcher

News Track

like a pyramid, i.e. the top customers going for the high-end machine and the bottom ones still going with the basic machines. But lately with the increase in labour costs and shortage of skilled labour more and more people are going for high-end technologies and to complement this trend we have also started focussing on high-end machines for the Indian customers, and at the same time also making them understand their benefits in the form of de-skilling of an operation and minimal operators requirement.”

The S-7200C single needle direct drive straight lockstitcher equipped with the dry-head technology operating in a year for 300 days, 10 hours a day at 4000 RPM, would require greasing once in about 10 years

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Industry Waiting for Orders as Market Slows Down…

As per industry feedback orders for Spring/Summer are yet to come in with most buyers. It is even more disheartening as summer wear is India’s core strength and many in the industry admit that they are exclusively feeding the season with dresses, blouses, shirts, beachwear, cotton apparels and offerings in lightweight fabrics, with orders coming in slowly the panic button has been pushed and exporters are worried. Team StitchWorld talks to buyers and exporters on ground realities as they are today…

Though the industry is anxious, leading players

are more practical in their approach. “There is not much we can do to change the situation, as it is not in our hands and the global scenario will take its own course, but what we can do is rethink our working styles to meet the needs of the changing dynamics and stay a preferred supplier,” argues Sudhir Dhingra, CMD, Orient Craft. Even in these tough conditions OC expects to end the year with 12% growth. “It is very easy to cry over the situation, but it is in our hands to take decisions that will in the long run help the business,” reasons Dhingra.

It cannot be denied that buyers are also skeptical on how they should move forward, though customer sales in the US has not yet slowed down but the future

is uncertain. In the EU the Eurozone debt crisis has reached a systemic dimension that threatens banks and the wider economy. “I personally feel that the recession is more a crises of the banks and financial institutions and the ordinary customer is not so impacted. We work exclusively in Europe and none of my buyers has yet said that the customers are cutting down on purchases, what is changing is the payment modes and the financial security that LCs could give,” says Anil Buchasia, Amrit Exports, Kolkata. Of course he is quick to add that since he is working in a niche product like workwear which is very technology-driven, his competitiveness is different than in the case of fashion garments.

The delayed orders are attributed to not only the recessionary trends in major

markets, but also to the desire of the retailers to buying closer to the season, so as to save on inventory. If the industry grapevine is to be believed then most factories are running at no more than 50-60% capacity at an average, with many in deep trouble as their expenses to keep the factories running are mounting.

“More than the business slowdown it is the overheads that are affecting business,” opines Rajiv Kapoor, Affordable Exports, Delhi. Though most of the bigger companies are reluctant to put on record the problems they are facing off record, most of them are struggling to keep their bottom lines healthy. “It is important for bigger companies to grow top lines, but the real challenge is to work on the margins and increase productivity so that the

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bottom lines too if not growing are at least stable,” says Samir Goenka, Texport Overseas.

In fact, almost all the buyers agree that business this season is quite slow compared to the previous two years at this time of the season. Many feel that even in case where orders have come in, the numbers are really small. “The mood in Europe is not to buy too much but it is also not that buying is not happening, it’s just that brands are not taking risks and carrying stocks. The Express collections are starting to do better as they are buying newer and fast fashion that is the trend today,” says Vivek Bhatnagar, Fusion Consulting. Fusion customers have placed orders, but there is a drop of around 10% on the overall quantity, however the knits categories has shown higher growth as opposed to the woven garments. “The trend visible is that for the coming seasons there shall also be delayed decisions to

buy as the market is uncertain and for brands to plan their sales has become even more difficult,” adds Vivek.

At Mumbai-based Kalp Exim, the downfall of orders is of over 30%. “The confusion over the US and Europe economy is somewhat keeping the buyers at bay and buyers in Europe specially are very conscious in spending their money, the motto is to keep risk at minimum low. With no new orders and a 30 per cent fall in the current ones from regular clients in US, Canada and Europe have forced many exporters to look for newer avenues. From my interactions I feel Tirupur and Punjab-based suppliers are the ones facing a very a tough season,” says Kaplesh Kabra, Kalp Exim.

Many buyers feel that the impact on sourcing is coming more from the big retailers. “Orders are very slow moving, as the larger customers have taken a back seat. The

boutique customers are rather active. In fact we are very happy right now to work with boutique customers as they are giving small quantities no doubt but good prices,” says Mukta Malhotra, SAAR International. She adds, “Orders from larger customers have just started trickling in at very minimal quantities. As per our larger customers the orders will come but late where retailers will then want miracles, for vendors to perform in short span of time. In this case the fabric suppliers will have to gear up to deliver fabric in shorter lead time the whole scenario will have to change.”

Most of the retailers that are deferring their orders for spring-summer have stocks and they are waiting to see the winter demand before taking a call. Normally during this time of the year, most of the garment factories are fully booked till February, however this time a lot of factories have spare capacities for

January production. “As per my discussions with many of my buyer colleagues at a rough estimate, there is a 50% cut in garment orders from last year and out of the balance 50% orders, the retailers are asking the exporters to defer production. Also there is tremendous pressure on prices as many exporters in the last few weeks picked some orders assuming softening of cotton prices, however due to firm raw material prices and low/late arrivals of new cotton, cotton still remains firm,” shares Sharad Sanghai, Texperts which is sourcing garments, fabrics and yarn for customers in both the US and EU.

Many expect to get orders by end November, but this is just a hope and there is no certainty. It will depend entirely on how garment sales move in the west, which depends on a number of macro level factors that influences the sentiments of end user and that holds the

There is not much we can do to change the situation, but what we can do is rethink our working styles to meet the needs of the changing dynamics and stay a preferred supplier”

Sudhir Dhingra, CMD, Orient Craft, Gurgaon

None of my buyers, exclusively in Europe, have yet said that the customers are cutting down on purchases, what is changing is the payment modes and the financial security that LCs could give”

Anil Buchasia, Amrit Exports, Kolkata

More than the business slowdown it is the overheads that are affecting business. Also we need to have more export promotional activities spread throughout the year to attract buyers"

Rajiv Kapoor, Affordable Exports, Delhi

It is important for bigger companies to grow top lines, but the real challenge is to work on the margins and increase productivity so that the bottom lines too if not growing are at least stable”

Samir Goenka, Texport Overseas, Bangalore

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retailers to take an optimistic view about S/S. “Bottom line is that there is no clarity on when and how much orders will actually come in,” says Sameer Thapar, Montrose India. Montrose is buying garments mostly for the US market, the prime customer for the company being Jones Apparel, though smaller brands like Bydesign are also on the customer list. The impact is more powerful since Spring/Summer is the key season for exporters in India and a slow down would certainly affect business in the long run.

At Triburg, the orders from most of its clients have come in and while with some products the orders are a little less, in others they are more. “Overall we are hitting targets this year, though a lot of exporters we work with are complaining that they are seeing a dip in numbers in their total export basket. The way the markets in the west are behaving will impact business next year… we think we will see the slowdown in numbers for fall 2012,” predicts

Jayashree Rai, Triburg. Another buying office which claims to have hit targets is Haus Mod, though they too have reservations on the next season. “Buyers are a little apprehensive in ordering earlier and they want to place order at short term deliveries, which is in season. This is putting a lot of pressure on deliveries and prices,” says Aroona Mann, Haus Mod, which is primarily working with customers in Europe.

The change in buying patterns is also challenging the buying offices. “The trend is also to buy lesser style and fabric options and brands do not want quantities distributed across more style and fabric options rather they also want to consolidate and meet their budgets. Therefore from distribution of a number of styles across multiple vendors we have a limited ability today. Fusion customers also have adapted to the trends that are friendly in certain countries in Europe which are still stable and growing and for these

brands those are the export markets which are bringing in growth,” says Vivek.

In such a scenario not many are ready to make a guess as to when the situation will be back on track. What the buyers do say is that the task is uphill. “Though most of us feel that the situation should improve in first quarter of 2012, but this may not be sustainable if the US falls into another recession and Eurozone problems persist. It cannot be overlooked that though the major part of delayed orders are due to slowdown in sales higher interest rates, instability in financial markets, increased unemployment as well as lower growth, should the US fall into recessionary conditions, may only add to the mess,” cautions Kabra.

Although most of the buyers blame the current buying position on the global economic situation, Mukta feels that Indian exporters too are to be partly blamed for the decrease in business.

“No doubt recession is the key factor but more so the increase in yarn prices in between is also a major factor where retailers placed some of their businesses in countries where prices were sharper, that is where vendors were smart to cut down their margins and react proactively to the situation with a long term vision. Whereas in India the vendors were firm and were not ready to cut their margins and suffered in the interim, by the time they realized, a certain amount of business was placed elsewhere,” she argues.

Many buyers are already anticipating the trickle-down effect of the situation. “The export industry will be hit harder than expected as the quantum simply isn’t there and there will be an inequitable distribution of business as the business will be lifted by people who are able to offer ‘Product’ diversity and greater degree of Product developments. Prices everyone has to compete with but if the learning curve for product

The mood in Europe is not to buy too much but it is also not that buying is not happening, it’s just that brands are not taking risks and carrying stocks”

Vivek Bhatnagar, Fusion Consulting, Gurgaon

With no new orders and a 30% fall in the current ones from regular clients in US, Canada and Europe have forced many exporters to look for newer avenues”

Kaplesh Kabra, Kalp Exim, Mumbai

The way the markets in the West are behaving will impact business next year… We think we will see the slowdown in numbers for fall 2012, in the meanwhile ship the best possible quality”

Jayashree Rai, Triburg, New Delhi

“Buyers are a little apprehensive in ordering earlier and they want to place order at short term deliveries, which is in season, putting a lot of pressure on deliveries and prices”

Aroona Mann, Haus Mod, Noida

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development is short and the buyers are able to see the developments that are on trend then business placement is inevitable,” reasons Vivek.

Of course with low or less orders, the exporters too will hold their buying, which will actually affect the whole industry. “This would mean a lot to suppliers who will have to take actions for cost cutting, which will mean lay off’s and less buying will be a double blow to raw material traders and thus cresting the whole chain of slow down. Further for buyers as such in the case of a depreciating dollar, exporters will have to bear the loss as a cut in margins which in some cases will also lead to loss,” predicts Kabra.

Buyers were very vocal in what the industry needs to do to stay

preferred suppliers. “Ship the best possible quality… that’s the only thing which will keep exporters going. No one wants to be saddled with a bad quality product which does not sell, so focus on quality, quality and more quality,” advises Rajshree. Controlling costs, retaining existing customers by serving them in the best possible manner so that they stay along and don’t look for alternatives, and putting concerted efforts in exploring newer markets/customers/applications as there are a number of new avenues opening on account of various FTA/PTA’s and increasing demand in developing countries especially Asia are some of the suggestions offered.

However, beyond controlling

the internal issues to be more competitive it is also important to develop newer markets. The Middle East, Central Asia and South America are the three major destinations that have emerged as strong possibilities. “We need to initiate buyer-seller meets at appropriate times to tap these markets. For the middle East the buying happens in early May for the Ramadan season, while April is the right time to explore China and its neighbouring countries as buying happens around that time for the Chinese New Year,” says Rajiv.

Vivek feels that there is an opportunity in every recession and that needs to be capitalized upon. “Exporters should plan to travel more

frequently as Indians are

generally much behind the

Chinese exporters and the

other Asian counterparts in

terms of travelling and being

in the face of the buyers. This

is a strategy that will be a key

for all people who want to

expand. The second things is

to get the prices for printing

and yarn-dyes down as there

is a huge business potential

India looses out to China with

regards to the yarn-dyes fabric

pricing and lead time,” he says.

Presently, it is a wait and watch

scenario, the primary focus

of the major business is to

make the break-even margins

and wait for the situation

to improve. However, not all

is lost and retailers are also

making effort to get business

back on track.

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Development in digital printing technology today to a large extent is directed towards enhancing productivity through ‘speed’ as the mantra for survival. The critical question is do we have the right components to support speed? Team SW takes a closer look at the challenges ahead…

Speeding up Digital Printing

at the same spot, even a tiny bit of misalignment will produce a blurred image.

Though the concept of speed is good, a lot of work still needs to be done to make it workable before it is brought on to the shop floor. Putting bigger and more heads to increase speed is not the solution. From a practical angle it should have been the head manufacturers making faster heads rather than the machine manufacturers making faster machines. Also for fashion we need sharper heads.

Another important element that should technically support faster machines is ink, most important is consistency and run-ability of an ink. Many inks clog at a speed of 100 metre per hour. It is important for users to first test the ink for at least 5 days before buying the brand as each ink has its own applicability and

it is important that it matches to the requirement of the machine to give clean sharp images.

Besides the print head and ink, the RIP (Raster Image Processor) is the most important and also the most error prone software solution in the printing process. The RIP facilitates speed and transmits reliable information for creation and management of priority orders. But does it do this efficiently and seamlessly… Does it match colour easily and accurately, allow creation, view, edit, and with multiple colour ways do these features that synchronize with the machine speed… these are critical posers that need to be addressed.

Clearly, the industry needs machines which will give value for money, delivering cost-effective products with good maintenance.

There have been many attempts by leading manufacturers of digital printing

machines to induce speed. In fact, a 1000 sq. metres per hour, printer was also on display at ITMA 2011 but at a much lower resolution… Does it justify such investment? Some major technical issues do occur while running a digital printer at that high speed, which includes force and equilateral drop size of the ink. In a machine with 36/90 heads, there is a lot of wind generated with the force of so many heads when moving together and combined with the equilateral drop size and speed, the machine is bound to miss one of the dots and in this case if all the dots do not register, the print will lack its sharpness. Imagine 90 heads lined up together and with thousands of nozzles firing at that speed

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Mimaki vouch for quality over speed

Vinod Krishnamurthy Iyer, MD, Mimaki Kanphor India Pvt. Ltd. with the Tx400-1800D digital textile printer

automatically switch with another container of the same colour whenever an ink container goes vacant, even when the printer is at work, enabling long continuous print runs.

Mimaki with a total of 400+ printers in India has been expanding consistently; it has recently opened offices in Kolkata, Bangalore and Surat. They have also hired a team of 20 people specifically for the task of providing

technical support to their ever-growing customer base in India. “We invite our customers to visit our offices and inspect for themselves the inks and the printers before they buy. Our offices also have a stenter, we have tied-up with Texfab, we are getting a porta-pad, an iFix, a drum drier and we have tied-up with Setema. This kind of complete solution provider ability not everyone possesses,” concludes Vinod.

Mimaki, the leading manufacturer of

wide-format inkjet printers and cutting machines for the sign/graphics, industrial and textile/apparel market, showcased its latest new Tx400-1800D textile inkjet printer along with TP250 textile pigment ink and Tx Link Pro textile RIP (Raster Image Processor) software, to create a more streamlined textile printing system. “While the latter two products would be made available around November of this year, the printer is expected to come around April next year says Vinod Krishnamurthy Iyer, MD, Mimaki Kanphor India.

The Tx400-1800D is a highly productive direct-to-textile printer. With the ability to work with sublimation and reactive dye inks, this textile printer is capable of printing on silk, cotton, polyester, and other fabrics. The printer can print in colour modes of 4/6/8 colours at the speed of 99.1 sq. metres per hour. “We have done a lot of R&D on the Piezo print-heads of the Tx400 for a period of two years as when everyone is going for speed we aim at offering high quality and cost-effectiveness, we would be able to do with this printer,” explains Vinod. The printer is equipped with Mimaki’s UISS (Uninterrupted Ink Supply System), which

KITL presents Kothari Print Pro Software as one solution for Digital Textile Printing

Ankit Maheshwari, Director and Chandermohan Maheshwari, Chairman of Kothari Info-Tech Ltd.

towards roll-to-roll digital textile printing. Charu™ reactive series is available for Epson, Kyocera, Ricoh, Seiko and Spectra type print heads. The coatings with the inks are compatible with cotton, viscose, silk, linen and blends.

file based half-toning function. Print Pro also offers stochastic screens for moiré free reproduction. For rotary screen there is special honeycomb dot. “Any amount of RAM is never enough for handling them. Print Pro answers this problem with the help of advanced memory manager that transparently works to use hard disk as scratch space to keep images and available RAM only as cache to perform operations,” says Ankit Maheshwari, Director, Kothari Info-Tech Limited.

Not only into developing software solutions, KITL has also developed water based reactive inks, Charu™ inks and pre-treatment solutions, Disha™ coatings, that will work on variety of textile substrates targeted

Surat based KITL (Kothari Info-Tech Ltd.) showcased

an indigenously manufactured advanced colour management and Raster Image Processing software for digital textile printing developed for the most demanding workflows in the digital textile printing environment. For workflows starting from the colour-separated files, it takes care of engraving, colour-ways/matching to simulation of production proofs on digital textile printer and for the ones involving small lots, starting with RGB/CMYK/LAB image composites; it also takes care of true to life reproduction of designs on the fabric.

Print Pro significantly simplifies the task of digital proofing a design on the inkjet printer. One can proof colour separated designs targeted for conventional printing without actually engraving a single screen. Print Pro colour proofs the job by doing step ‘n’ repeat, screening and then combining the output into a colour composite before outputting on the printer. All one needs to do is assign screening parameters to each screen.

Print Pro offers about 34 traditional dots, error diffusion and gray scale

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Stork Prints Digital Printing Systems prove especially popular at ITMA

ICHINOSE Textile Printing Solutions for today and beyond

Herman van Haare, Sales Manager – Digital Textiles, Stork Prints B.V. with the new Sphene 24 digital printer in background

(L to R) Sanjay Maheshwari, Director, Kothari Infotech Limited, India; Tao Li, Director, Technical; K. Dohi, Director, Designing department; N. Kataoka, Sales Head India; the team of Toshin Kogyo, Japan

to say that developments for speed are overlooked by the company; in fact the new Sphene 24 digital printer, which was demonstrating its ability to print on Polyamide Lycra swimwear fabric using acid inks, can realize print speeds up to an amazing 555 m²/hour.

The feeding system in the versatile printer allows virtually any fabric imaginable to be printed, at widths of up to 1.85 metres. Equipped with Kyocera KJ4B print heads for aqueous inks, the Sphene comes in 6 variants with varying speeds ranging from 255 to 525 sq. metres per hour and print-heads ranging from 6 to 8 per row. It can work with reactive, acid and disperse inks.

“The response for digital printers confirms that the era of digital textile production has definitely started,” said Jos Notermans, Stork Prints’ Business Unit Manager for Digital Textiles. “The success

of our Sphene once again emphasises our leading position in this market, as does the recently announced agreement with Italy’s MS that our inks will be used in their MS Lario. The future of digital textile printing is very bright for all Stork Prints customers,” he added.

Adds Tajpreet Singh Dua, All India Manager, SPG Prints, “The new machine is very cost-effective at about Rs. 50/sq. metres approximately.”

“Black is a very important colour in fashion and we manufacture a special black ink called D black, it is a very strong ink and manages the issue of printing black efficiently. Our competitor manufactures machines which use black on two positions, rather they should try to keep black in one position only, to be more cost-effective with reduced ink consumption,” explains Herman.

While many of the digital printers at ITMA

focussed on introducing high-speed machines, for SPG prints the attention was on cost-effectiveness. “More than any other factor, printer efficiency and cost per sq. metre is a major concern, which is decided by the ink consumption of the printer.

More than half of the cost per sq. metre is composed of the ink consumption. In case of our products, extensive testing was done with 50,000 metres of fabric and we came to the figure of 8 ml. per sq. metre, which is very cost-effective,” says Herman van Haare, Sales Manager – Digital Textiles, Stork Prints B.V. That is not

any kind of production runs from sample to medium size. It has a total of 8 heads, i.e. 508 nozzles. “The most outstanding feature of all the textile printers is the Adhesive Print Blanket Technology (APB), which helps in gripping the fabric, making the printing of stretchable fabrics possible,” adds Sanjay Maheshwari, Director, Kothari Info-Tech Limited.

Li, Director, Technical, Toshin Kogyo Co. Ltd.

The 3320EX textile printing system with 16 print heads prints at the speed of 80 m²/hr at 360 dpi and at 40 m²/hr at 720 dpi on 1 and 2 pass. The printer can also work with acid, Reactive and Disperse dyes along with pigment inks. The image proofer-2 inkjet printer has the capacity to handle

With a long history of serving the

textile industry, Japanese manufacturer of dyeing, finishing and other textile machinery, Toshin Kogyo Co. Ltd., established in 1937, displayed its latest innovations in textiles printers, which included the Ichinose 2030 and 2030pro high speed digital printers along with Image proofer-2 inkjet printer and the 3320EX textile printing system.

Promoting speed in digital printing technology, the 2030 and the 2030pro high speed ink jet printers’ print at the

speed of 160 m²/hr at 360 dpi resolution; the former has 16 heads and the latter 24 heads from Seiko. The 2030pro being an advanced version of the 2030 has the ability of recycling ink from the cleaning cycles, which significantly reduces the ink consumption. The dimensions of both are same and have Piezo electric heads that are effective with acid dyes, reactive dyes, disperse dyes and pigment inks. “Speed is becoming critical to the fashion industry and our endeavour is to give better speed machines with quality design reproduction,” says Tao

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Konica Minolta presents the world’s fastest printer with 1000 m²/hr

MS Printing Solutions showcasing developments for the future

Akiyoshi Ohno, President, Konica Minolta with Vir Vikram Bhatia, MD, Apsom Technologies, pose in front of the Nassenger PRO 60 printer

The JP6 printer with print-heads from Kyocera.

printer, unwinder, dryer and winder with footprint of 20m² approx. Due to the presence of nine 512-nozzle Piezo print-heads, a compact head-carriage design is present in the printer. “The Nassenger PRO 1000 incorporates Konica Minolta’s new KM1024 print-head technology. In addition to reactive and acid dye sets for the Nassenger PRO series, Konica Minolta is also looking to introduce disperse dye inks,” adds Vir Vikram Bhatia, MD, Apsom Technologies.

by automation. The other innovation – Nassenger PRO 60 has 512 nozzles with a print speed of 60m²/hr. The model uses high-density water-based inkjet print-heads. It also has a 9-colour gamut like Nassenger PRO 1000 and can be used as a proofer for the same. It is compatible with high and low production speeds, ranging from 9-60 m²/hr. Both the printers can handle the maximum fabric width of 1850 mm. This compact machine is an integration of a textile

Konica Minolta IJ Technologies Inc.

(Konica Minolta), a leading manufacturer of industry-use inkjet print-heads, unveiled new inkjet textile printers, the Nassenger PRO 1000 for significantly high-volume production and the Nassenger PRO 60 for small production, as a new addition to its globally-acclaimed Nassenger inkjet textile printers at the ITMA show.

As the top-of-the-line model of the Nassenger series, the Nassenger PRO 1000 features a number of enhanced functions for high-volume, full-scale production. Utilising 9 colour dye inks, the company claims that the machine is the world’s

fastest inkjet printer with a speed of 1000m²/hour at 360 dpi. “With increased speed the quality of the print is always at risk, therefore to address this issue Konica Minolta has developed nozzle sensors and floating-fabric sensors to control quality,” informs Akiyoshi Ohno, President, Konica Minolta IJ Technologies Inc.

With a total of 1024 nozzles, it has an automatic print-head maintenance system unique to Konica Minolta is adopted to ensure stable print production. This system regularly checks the print-head nozzle status to enable stable print quality and uninterrupted production, thus minimizing labour costs

silk. The machine operates in the range of 20 to 30 linear metres per minute at Tintseta. The machine has the ability to print at speeds of 75 metres per minute, i.e. more than 8,000 square metres per hour. With this speed more focus is required on the quality of the print and to achieve that more than 6,00,000 nozzles have been installed in LaRio. “The printer is quite cost-effective, as with no cylinder, no engraving and no colour kitchen, the organization saves a substantial amount of money and combined with minimal water and energy consumption, it has been claimed as an innovation bound to take the digital textile printing sector to the next level,” informs Ayush Rathi, Director, MS Orange Technologies, Pvt. Ltd.

printing mill, including the whole working cycle. Representing MS Printing Solutions at ITMA, Paolo Milini, Director, MS Printing Solutions informed, “MS and Stork prints have agreed to cooperate on the development and production of digital textile printing systems, including inks and ink supply systems. With Stork’s specialization in digital integration, we together will focus on production of inks, ink supply systems and textile printing applications.”

At the ITMA, MS showcased the JP6 and JPK printers with print-heads from Kyocera. MS showcased video demonstrations of the operation of the continuous, single pass LaRio technology now installed at Tintseta Ink in Como, Italy for printing of

MS the Italian pioneer in the field of digital

textile printing was present at the ITMA show in full force. Established in 1947, the

technical solutions from MS are extremely flexible and today MS is the only Italian company capable of supplying a complete solution to textile

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Durst offers Kappa 180, the new benchmark in Digital Textile Printing

Durst Kappa 180 with a printing speed of more than 600 m²/hour

requirements of the textile sector could be fulfilled with “QuadroZ”, with eight colours in CMYK, orange, red, blue and grey with no modulations or density fluctuations. The modified Durst QuadroZ Array system makes it possible to print on textiles with water-based inks by a specially hardened, fray-resistant nozzle plate with a drop size of 7-21 picolitres. 6,144 jets per colour produce a resolution of up to 1,680 dpi, while a single automatic nozzle cleaning system ensures uninterrupted operation. "A key role is played here by the ink delivery system with the osmosis filtering system, which eliminates the air bubbles in the inks and ensures that the printing is steady and failure-free," adds Sanjay Maheshwari, Director of Kothari Infotech Ltd., the Indian dealer of Durst.

For textile printing applications, Durst has developed its own high-performance inks (Kappa Inks) for the Piezo inkjet multi-pass technology. These are used for printing with absolutely environmental-friendly, water-based dispersion, reactive and acid inks on different textile fibres by way of the QuadroZ Arrays.

The Kappa 180 Cost-view software ensures precise calculation of the production costs and environmental factors for each printing order. All relevant parameters, including ink, material, power and other factors are analysed via a dashboard, while at the same time the CO

2 emissions

are calculated for each production stage. Cost-view has a web interface, which means that all analyses can be interchanged with other departments at any point in time.

At the ITMA 2011 show, Durst Phototechnik AG,

the specializes in industrial inkjet applications, premiered the Kappa 180, the high-performance inkjet printer with a printing speed of more than 600 m²/hour (over 300 running metres) and outstanding printing quality (1056 x 600 dpi).

For over 70 years, Durst has offered the most innovative system solutions for image reproduction. The Kappa 180 is their first innovation specifically developed for the digital textile printing industry.

From the print-heads to the ink, the Kappa 180 has been developed by Durst itself. Together with RIP (Raster Image Processor) specialist Caldera, Durst has also developed the workflow software for Kappa 180 in order to speed up printing from the design stage to the final print while providing full cost transparency.

“With Kappa 180 we are setting the benchmark in digital textile printing at this year’s ITMA – not only on account of the impressive technical specifications, but also because we are offering a

complete system that provides genuine value addition across all production levels. With the Kappa 180 and tailor-made Caldera workflow solution, we are supplying our customers with numerous advantages compared with conventional printing methods, i.e. total flexibility, time and cost savings, less consumption of resources, environmental friendliness, and a high degree of customer satisfaction,” says Christoph Gamper, Executive Vice-President of Durst Phototetechnik AG.

Unlike conventional printing methods, there are no pre-printing processes – printing orders and changeovers are processed directly via the workflow software, setup times and the system is ready for printing within a few hours. Water consumption during the production process is reduced by up to 90% and only a fraction of the chemicals normally used are required. In addition printing orders remain reproducible at all times.

Durst’s proprietary Quadro print-head technology was developed further for the Kappa 180, so that the specific

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Fashion with sequins has always displayed elegance and style, a part of its allure is the way in which sequins are applied, with each one sewn on by hand, which also adds to the cost. But with advancements in technology, sequin application has become an automated process using specialized equipments. Now sequin attaching machines are available with the ability to attach sequins at a high speed of 1000 RPM, while being cost-effective. But the technology available today still has to reach that level where every design is possible with a machine. Sakshi Yadav, MFTech student from NIFT, Delhi and Dr. Prabir Jana, Professor, NIFT, Delhi put the spotlight on the various technologies that is available for attaching sequins “not by hand”.

Technology Levels for Sequin Attachment

Advanced Technology for Faster Payback

levels of technology for evaluating return-on-investment, the hand sequin work is not considered here since it is a tedious work for which buyers and brands are ready to pay special price in the name of ‘hand work’. But for the masses it does not matter if the work is done by hand or machine. Most may even consider machine-finished sequin work a more quality product compared to a product having hand-sequin work.

Even within the machines there are different levels of technologies and solutions

for sequin attaching operations, ranging from a single needle flatbed stitching machine to multi-head computer controlled sequin attachment machine, as an added functionality of multi-head embroidery machines.

Basic TechnologyA sequin device can be attached to a very basic single needle flatbed double chainstitch machine for attaching sequins. There is a control box provided in the machine which can be used to change the

Sequin attachment is done to enhance the aesthetics of a

garment. The process is done both with hands, usually called “adda work” and by sequin attaching machines. Though, it is quite difficult to differentiate between hand-sewn sequin and machine-sewn sequin but still garments with hand-sewn sequins are much more expensive. The biggest advantage with the hand-sewn sequin work is that any kind of pattern can be done, which is not always possible with machines. While considering the different

Common type of sequin attach possible by machines

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head sequin attachment machines where a computer disk or a punched-tape controls the stitching patterns and needle action, constitute the highest level of technology. All needle beds on a machine are controlled by the stitch pattern and operate or stop at the same time. With multi-head machines, garments are individually hooped and inserted horizontally under each head. Each head utilizes 1 to 6 needles with wide range of sequins from small to large sizes to various shapes like non-circular or eccentric type, in accordance with the design.

The advanced machines under this category have the capability of attaching four different sizes, shapes and colours of sequins using a dual sequin device which can stitch two kinds of sequins at high speeds as desired by sliding sequin supply unit to the right or left. It also eliminates the need of any pneumatic equipment as stable up/down motion can be achieved through the adoption of pulse motor and slide screw.

A few notable machines under this category are the Barudan sequin device, Tajima sequin device III & IV and the ZSK sequin devices T5, V6 & V7, with the maximum speed of 1000 stitches per minute, the machines are capable of working with sequin-sizes ranging from 2 to 22 mm. Barudan and Tajima offer a wide variety of sequin attaching machines with most of them equipped with a dual sequin device. The Barudan sequin device has only one sequin function code for feeding and sewing

the spacing between two rows and accuracy of the motif depends on operator skill. A further advancement available under this category has been the incorporation of the dual sequin device in the sequin attaching machine, which is usually found in embroidery machine for attaching sequins. The machine has an option of working with a single sequin device, while keeping the other inactive. The Richpeace High Speed Dual Sequin Sewing Machine is an example of this.

Advanced TechnologyMachines functioning with advanced technology are fully automated, hence deskilling the operator. Spacing between sequins and spacing between rows in a motif both are programmed in the machine. A multi-

sequin size and skip timing (1 sequin every 1 stitch to 10 stitches), with the ability to handle three sizes of sequin that is 3 mm, 5 mm, 7 mm by changing the optional guide and pressure foot. Since it is manually operated sequin attaching device hence depends on skilled operators to position and manipulate materials under the needle.

The machines can run between 600-1200 RPM and are equipped with sequin feeding volume and skip timing setting panel, others may have a stepping motor for accurately cutting and carrying more sequins. The advanced versions within the basic-level technology machines have one more function – the outing function, which can make designs like flower and so on, along with the ability to add a sequin to a previously skipped position. Kansai Special LX 5801 SP

is an example of double chainstitch sequin attaching machine, provided by Sunny Sales, Kolkata.

There are also lockstitch sequin attaching machine, which run at relatively slower speeds of 200 to 1200 SPM depending on the embroidery specifications. Fucen FC-8810 is an example of lockstitch sequin attaching machine. While attaching sequins by double chainstitch there is risk of unravelling during any thread break, lockstitch sewing is relatively secure even during thread cut during use of garment. Stitch length is between 3 mm to 5 mm.

In the basic level of technology the operator has to run the sewing machine, guide the fabric through needlepoint just like any other sewing operation. While individual sequin spacing in a line remain uniform,

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ROI for basic and advanced level of technology Chinese embroidery

machine with 12 headsJapanese embroidery machine with 18 heads

Parameters Basic Level of technology

Advanced Level of technology

Advanced Level of technology

SAM value per design (500 sequins)* 2 1.4 1

Production (no. of designs) per day(shift of 8 hours) 240 4114.285714 8640

Working days/month 26 26 26

No. of months/year 12 12 12

Production per annum 74880 1283657.143 2695680

Production target (designs / day) 8640 8640 8640

CM price per operation (500 sequins)** 1.00 1.00 1.00

Cost output /annum 74880 1283657.143 2695680

No.of machines required 36 2.1 1

Salary per karigar/operator per month *** 5500 5500 5500

Salary per karigar/operator per annum 66000 66000 66000

Total salary/annum 2376000 138600 66000

Cost of one machine (with sequin attach device) 90000 800000 6150650

Cost of total machine 3240000 1600000 6150650

Annual depriciation 0.150 0.150 0.150

Depreciated value of machine after one year 2754000 1360000 5228053

CM price from total machine 2695680 2695680 2695680

Cash inflow 319680 2557080 2629680

ROI for the first year 11.6% 188.02% 50.30%

Payback period (in years) 10.14 0.63 2.34

* In basic level operator is running machine at 500 stitches per minute and at advanced level m/c is running at 700-1000 stitches per minute.** Attaching one sequin require 2 stitches*** Assuming salary equal for all levelsAll the salaries/costs are in rupees

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ZSK Sequin Device V4 with LEDs (right) indicating current status of machine Barudan BEDYHE-ZQ-C06 with dual sequin system

use of spindle mechanism rather than pneumatics and synchronizes the rising/sinking process while being equipped with LEDs to indicate the current status of the machine i.e. working, interim or resting.

Unlike in hand sewing of sequins, at both technology

levels sequins are attached from a semi-cut sequin roll. The skill requirement in advanced level is definitely lower than the basic level, as an operator using advanced level technology only has to monitor the running of the machine and attends in case of any machine stoppage.

each sequin to the fabric, making it user-friendly and fast in operation. The Tajima sequin device III twin type has the ability to attach 4 different types of sequins in any pre-defined order, 2 sequins at a time and that too at the high speed of 800 RPM. Moreover with the adoption of a pulse

motor and slide screw, stable up/down motion has been achieved thus eliminating the need for pneumatic equipment. The ZSK sequin device has optimized the lifting and/or lowering time to just 2 seconds by limiting the unnecessary travel while making the design. This makes

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Enhancing Efficiencies For Profitability

Increasing efficiencies and productivity is the only way to bring down cost of production and improve the profitability of operations… Three industry experts – Paul Collyer, a garment industry expert presently associated with Rajesh Bheda Consulting, James Hoerig of Leadtec working in India through Royal Datamatics and Keerthi Abe of SewEasy, Sri Lanka, a specialized motion & time study solution – elucidate on how best to improve efficiencies from using technology to better training and people management.

Invest in Training for Business ImprovementPAul COllyER

Garment Industry Expert

The need to train people so that they are fit for

the defined purpose with the ability to support any change, as also to be sure that any proposed changes are initiated for the correct reasons and assist in achieving business objectives, are the two guidelines for business improvement in today’s times. Paul Collyer, garment industry expert with over 37 years of international exposure in production management, emphasizes that training the human resource is not only the need of the hour, but is in fact an investment and not a cost as presumed by organizations.

Training is an investment and should be focussed on equipping people with skills

"The one person per machine system and one piece per operator give benefits of minimal work in progress, quick throughput and ease of management, but inevitably build in inefficiency and waste as a perfect balance cannot be produced."

to perform their roles to the required standard. It is essential that both the roles and the required standards are clearly defined to enable effective development as also eliminate conflict as responsibilities overlap. When both have been clearly established, the required skills and knowledge can be defined and current abilities of staff compared, thereby identifying any training needed to bridge gaps. It should be an investment aimed at assisting in business improvement. With any

expenditure it is essential that costs and potential benefits are considered. Therefore it is necessary to consider:

a) Why any initiative is implemented.

b) What are the business objectives?

c) Are new ideas being introduced because everyone is doing it and they are perceived as a “magic” cure or it is believed that they will enhance business performance?

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objectives when comparing the effectiveness of any improvement initiative.

Companies should review and challenge the change, if the manufacturing practices used since lean implementation are aggressively minimising waste. Are the practices of one operator per machine and one piece per operator truly cost-effective in achieving business results? There is no “one size fits all” system or solution.

The one person per machine system and one piece per operator give benefits of minimal work in progress,

quick throughput and ease of management, but inevitably build in inefficiency and waste as a perfect balance cannot be produced. This is not a problem if the benefits are greater than the costs created by ineffective working but the analysis should be done. What should be recognized is that an operator sitting at every machine is not high utilization; it is high occupancy and a worker exactly achieving target is underachieving against potential!

A further consideration is the perceived shortcomings of the conventional progress bundle system such as high work in progress and slow throughput

are not inevitable consequences but a symptom of ineffective production management and possible inadequate training. Is it better to change practice or to improve what you have got? The answer is of course dependent upon the business objectives of the individual company and it is important to review what they were doing, as since the implementation of new practices, times and circumstances may have changed and what was appropriate may no longer be so. Any business system is a tool to be used in assisting in achieving objectives; it cannot dictate how the business operates.

As several companies are currently implementing lean manufacturing, this process is the best example of linking new idea implementation to performance improvement. Factories make profits by selling added value production to their customers and if not produced, the profitability is lost forever. Are the current production methods that companies are using in lean effective in maximising output? It must be recognized that use of lean or modular manufacturing techniques potentially give benefits other than output and it is essential to relate these to business

"There is a lot of untapped potential in the Asian manufacturers which through my Shop Floor Control Solution I aim to unleash, by helping them acheive 100% efficiency"

Leadtec™ RFID-enabled Shop Floor Control System for 100% EfficiencyJAMES HOERIGVice President, Manufacturing Solutions – Leadtec Division, CGS

Many technologies have been developed

and showcased worldwide focussing on productivity and efficiency improvement, one such innovation has been developed by Computer Generated Solutions (CGS), a US based company. The Shop Floor Control System based on RFID technology doesn’t leave any aspect of a shop floor untouched, be it production tracking, wage calculation or managing operator efficiencies, it is an all-in-one solution for an apparel manufacturer.

James Hoerig, Vice President, Manufacturing Solutions – Leadtec Division, a garment industry expert with 37 years of experience, reviews the Shop Floor Control System Leadtec™ to increase efficiencies and bring down cost of production.

With the retailers and brands chasing low labour costs across the globe, it has become the ground for choosing an apparel manufacturing destination anywhere in the world. Hitherto, apparel manufacturing industry had witnessed a shift from the West to cheaper manufacturing destinations in Asian countries and has now started moving towards Africa. To contain the migration of work, efficiency and productivity needs to be improved. A comparison in the cost of manufacturing between the Latin American nations, which are producing on higher labour costs of $ 8.75 per hour, but with high efficiencies of 90%, with the

Asian manufacturers, which although competitive with cheap labour of just $ 3.80 per hour, but working on marginal efficiencies of around 30%, shows that total production cost per hour in case of Latin America is lower at $ 9.72, while that in case of Asia is $ 12.67 per hour.

The importance of higher efficiencies is also highlighted in the case wherein 33 operators are needed for producing 550 garments at 46% efficiency, working on

40 workstations. However, if

the efficiencies are increased

not to 100%, but a rather

achievable mark of 75%, only

24 operators are required,

working on 27 machines

and producing the same

quantity of 550 garments.

With a mere increase of 45%

in an operator’s efficiency,

the gains are tremendous.

These results signify that by

only hiring cheap labour,

an apparel manufacturer

cannot sustain at the global

level. Therefore, modern

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Looking at the implications of this solution in the apparel manufacturing sector of India, the system generates a lot of information for the management and supervisors to analyse; therefore training is majorly required for effective use of the information displayed by the system, at which Leadtec claims that they can train a supervisor for this task in just a period of 10 days. Leadtec in the first 9 months of their collaboration with Royal Datamatics has successfully implemented more than 2000 terminals in 12 factories in the Delhi/NCR region.

apparel manufacturers should take steps towards eliminating the factors which contribute towards low sewing efficiencies like poor line balancing, poor operator utilization, lack of training, lack of work-aids, poor quality, high direct and indirect labour costs. The bottom line is line balancing and operator efficiencies are very critical in apparel manufacturing.

A real-time production system, in general, utilizes individual operator terminals to gather information on all production activities precisely as they occur. This information is presented to operators to empower and motivate them with feedback on their individual performance and help them achieve predetermined goals and increase their daily earnings. Managers become proactive rather than reactive and get a broader view of department or factory activity that they can use the information to establish realistic production goals and make faster and better informed production decisions throughout the shift. While, for the factory the information means controlling costs, maximizing profits, controlling quality and ensuring on-time delivery of precise order quantities day in and day out.

The SolutionThere are many ways to measure data generated. In the Leadtec™ – Shop Floor Control Solution the root-level data is collected by the terminal attached to every sewing machine and as soon as the operator receives the bundle, he/she has to tap the RFID label attached to the bundle against the terminal. Moreover the terminal also notifies the operator if they are

running low on the quantity or the time given, and if the target times overshoot, the manager/supervisor is notified and a message is displayed on the overhead message board visible to all. Also on display on the same board are the present overall efficiency, number of pieces produced, and number of operators absent, all for helping the supervisor in balancing the line.

Operator BenefitsThe operators are the ones majorly benefited by the system as it generates real-time data related to higher current efficiency v/s the standard efficiency, number of pieces made v/s the pay rate and the target time, all this brings transparency in the system and in turn motivates the employees towards working at greater efficiencies as it also helps in calculating the group and individual incentive with the attendance. Operators are benefited by using the real-time terminals when entering a request for any sort of assistance which gets automatically routed to their supervisor or the person responsible for handling the request, to check on time loss due to work held up. Also every sewing operator gets sewing instruction on their terminal regarding the operation and the product given to them, thus reducing the supervisor’s time wasted in explaining to them and the number of errors which arise due to lack of understanding with the operator regarding the job.

Supervisor & Plant Management BenefitsIt is necessary to first deskill the management and the supervisors before expecting

the operator to perform at 100% efficiency levels that is where the system comes into play and equips the management with the right kind of information which helps them in not only line balancing but also operator and plant management. The system helps in effective operator management by maintaining a database of each operator’s skill inventory, i.e. a record regarding the types of operation done by each operator with the respective efficiencies and time taken for completion. This further simplifies the supervisor and management’s job. A further extension of this feature is the operator score kept by the system which is like an operator rating mechanism based on the criteria pre-defined by the management. The system also helps the organization in SQC (Statistical Quality Control), the AQL (Accepted Quality Level) followed by the organization is fed into the system and the inspector/checker has to just input the number and types of defects present in the garment and the system would inform whether to reject it or pass it.

The information generated by the system enables the management and supervisor to do line balancing in an effective manner in two ways – one by effective data collection and secondly by analysing the generated reports. A simple example for understanding the report-analysis done by the solution would be the case where in a sewing line one of the operations is being done in more than the expected quantity, i.e. over-production and another operation is under-produced due to low labour efficiency, the system would generate the standard hours that should be allotted to the operation running low and also

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"People usually ask how many engineers I need for 100 people. Or how many work-study officers I need for 2 sewing lines. Industrial Engineer is a one man brigade i.e. more the engineers more the conflicts and indifferences, thus more the mistakes."

Industrial Engineering for “Making Competition Irrelevant” KEERTHI ABE Chief Technology Officer, SewEasy

With SewEasy, I can train a master IE in just 3 hours, claims Keerthi Abe

An organization optimises its profits by utilizing its

workforce at the maximum efficiency; however with the labour wages going up, it’s up to the Industrial Engineer (IE) to bring in the lasting gains through maximising the

efficiencies by using better methods or standard times. IE personnel should also instil a sense of commitment in the workers by improving their communication skills and self-confidence with an aim of making workers more productive. Keerthi Abe, Chief Technology Officer, SewEasy talks of the importance to strengthen the IE to make competition irrelevant.

A study conducted by SewEasy, a Pre-determined Motion & Time Study (PMTS) claims that the time study and the data collected by the IE is often at variance to the data generated by a PMTS, affecting all departments of an organization individually, be it the finance, merchandising or the production, by a factor of ±20%. The finance

department would witness a variation in the costing of the product as the calculated times would differ from the standard and consequently affect the labour wages. A similar variance would be reflected upon in the process of planning the schedule and making TnA calendar, done by the merchandisers. All the above mentioned factors will lead to overtimes, hiring of ‘bullies’ for managing the sewing lines, outsourcing from smaller manufacturing units and even include the overtime in an operator’s living wage. Even if this doesn’t work it’s the IE personnel who are pressured to improve times in an extremely small time span.

Though the SMV as calculated by SewEasy and as done by the IE personnel have accounted for a variance of 21% in the overall SMV of the garment, but when each operation is taken individually, variance ranging from a maximum of 143% to a low of 3% is recorded and out of the total 40 operations, 30 operations had relaxed targets as for balance 10 operations the targets were difficult or unachievable, which presented a cumulative variance of not 21% but of 1907%, which is high enough to drag down the company’s profitability.

SolutionMost significant among the skill-set possessed by an Industrial Engineer is the de-skilling of operation or to make an operation easier for a sewing operator without negotiating on the quality and quantity. Not only deskilling of the sewing operations, but IE must also deskill himself by using PMTS systems. “In today’s time, gathering the maximum information is not the priority, rather it’s about gathering the maximum information by utilizing minimum resources with easy ways to analyse it and SewEasy is the best PMTS to fulfil that prophesy,” claims Keerthi.

Secondly, errors which occur during data collection are a major cause of the variance available in the desired results. This aspect being subjective to an organization and operator should be done with maximum precision and accuracy to achieve the desired results. Therefore, error/mistake or proofing is a major task to be undertaken and made a part of the organization’s culture if an error-free environment is to be created in the organization.

calculates the hours that should be deduced from the ones with high productivity, while maintaining the minimum quantity to be produced.

Supervisors can also send messages to operators Real-Time terminals and/or to mobiles or email addresses of other plant personnel and all can be displayed at

the overhead message board, if necessary.

Return-On-InvestmentA 100% return-on-investment in 12 to 18 months is guaranteed through operator productivity improvements of up to 25%, labour cost reductions of up to 20%, and many other measurable cost

savings. A manufacturing unit of 400 sewing operators, working at a labour productivity of 30%, 2352 hours per year and spends $ 3.18 per hour, but the hours actually utilized are only 706. After implementing Shop Floor Control System, the labour productivity increases by 70% and the actual hours utilized are increased to 1646

hours per year. Therefore the organization has an additional 940 standard hours per operator and when multiplied with the cost per hour of $ 3.18, the organization makes an additional $ 2,989.20 per operator, i.e. a total of $ 11,95,680 per year. Thus the improvements from the system alone pay for the investment made by the organization.

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Held every four years, ITMA has successfully established its position as a leading textile exhibition. The quality of exhibitors and visitors at the recently concluded ITMA 2011 reiterates the importance of the show despite many smaller shows happening around the world. With over 1,350 exhibitors from 45 countries and economies displaying latest technological products and innovative solutions and over 1,00,000 visitors from 138 countries registered for the eight-day event in Barcelona, of which over 90 per cent of the visitors came from outside of Spain, ITMA consolidated its supremacy as the prime show window for textile technology. Team Stitchworld highlights some innovative technologies on display…

ITMA 2011Extensive Showcase of Latest Technology

future developments, giving the visitors a vision of what to expect in the future. ITMA is not only about buying technology, but about updating and knowing the future of technology, which helps the industry to plan for growth. Innovative solutions and focus on sustainability were key themes at most booths.

From where the growth in the textile sector is coming was very well defined from the visitors’ profile and while Italy fielded the largest contingent of 9 per cent of visitors, the host country Spain and then India were the best represented. Some of the bigwigs of the Indian industry that StitchWorld met include Manish Mandhana of Mandhana Industries, Sudhir Dhingra of Orient Craft, Aman Agarwal of Bombay Rayon, Shekhar Agarwal of Maral Overseas, Dilip Jiwrajka of Alok Industries, Rajesh Mehra of Active Clothing, Rajesh Kabra of NRK Overseas to name a few.

For India, textiles is a growing industry

with increased focus on technology. “ITMA 2011 demonstrated the finest of global excellence in textile manufacturing technology. India is emerging as the preferred base for textile manufacturing and Indian buyers were able to evaluate various machines for procurement during ITMA 2011. As a policy planner and in order to usher in India’s next leap into finer processing, finishing and a strong textile hub, it was particularly gratifying to be shown the finest technology in the world and a range of options at ITMA 2011,” said Rita Menon, Textiles Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, who led a high-level delegation that included the Joint Secretary (Textiles) and the Textile Commissioner.

While the textile segment was a hit, the newly introduced garment technology segment was a damp affair with no major brands participating. However, with its reputation as a textile technology fair it will take some time to be associated with garmenting.

The organizers of the event were extremely satisfied with the result as

the international mix of visitors and buyers was very well received by exhibitors. “ITMA 2011 has surpassed our expectations. Considering that the world is still facing economic difficulties, the vast majority of our exhibitors are delighted with the quality and the number of visitors. According to our national associations, their members have reported significant enquiries and many have taken even more orders than they hoped for,” said Stephen Combes, President of CEMATEX, owners of the ITMA concept. “The textile and garment industry must be commended for its resilience and willingness to invest and to innovate. The sales and serious enquiries generated were greatly appreciated by the exhibitors,” he added.

The exhibitors not only showcased latest technology, but also demonstrated prototype of

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Navis TubeTex displays latest series of Compactors

Memminger-Iro presents the latest Production Management tool for Knitting Machines

William Motchar, President & CEO, Navis TubeTex.

Rajesh Bihani of Rajasthan International with Stefan Maier of Memminger-Iro

Besides the latest compactors, the company was also showcasing the Constant Quality Concentration (CQC) system designed to mix chemicals on demand to conserve finishing products and improve quality in all fabrics. One of the key features of the system is the provision of the MoD sensor that measures the required chemical concentration and sends it to the PLC, where the software precisely controls the addition of water and chemical valves for exact proportion. “Customers using the CQC system have seen from 15% to 30% saving on chemicals by eliminating waste during batch and bath changes,” says Motchar. Since the system is supervisor-driven, only designated personnel can access the recipes, which mean product consistency of 100%, eliminating rework caused by incorrect chemical application.

Gemini addresses the need for quick turnarounds with speed of up to 100 yards per minute, the speed of Pak Nit e3 is 80 yards per minute. “In today’s business environment speed is essential, so to save time when fabric type is changed, the shoe quadrant adjustment is designed to facilitate quick changeover without changing the machine setting, while the numbered quadrants give exact setting standards for each type of fabric processed,” explains William Motchar, President & CEO, Navis TubeTex.

The company is working in India for the last many years with Janaksons. “The industry in India is always on the lookout for solutions that are cost-effective and fast, with the introduction of two new machines, which are also eco-friendly the response can only be positive,” says an upbeat Anil Behl, MD, Janaksons.

“Right here we have 28 Flat Knitting machines being remotely monitored from Barcelona and present in China. One can look at the production target, the current speed and its status, i.e. working or idle. We are informed about the machines status as soon as it stops working along with the reason,” explains Stefan Maier of Memminger-Iro.

are equipped with this kind

of machine controller, it

is very convenient for the

knitting machine operator

due to only having one

system instead of several

different. Also to mention it

can be quickly installed to

any machine whether new or

old with the help of plug &

play feature.

With the industry going green, technology

providers cannot be far behind and in its latest innovation Navis TubeTex has introduced the e3 series of compactors which are eco-friendly with lower energy consumption and reduced carbon footprints; ergonomic with more operator-friendly interface and efficient. The two compactors in the series that

created a stir at ITMA were the

Pak Nit e3 and the dual station

Pak Nit e3 Gemini. With residual

shrinkage of less than 1% by

tumble dry testing method, the

patented processing system

ensures accurate repeatability

of desired finishing results

and improved hand feel,

appearance and bulkiness.

Navis TubeTex is known for

its compactors and Pak Nit e3

Being the market leader when it comes to cutting-

edge processing technology for yarn in-feeding, control systems and lubrication technology for knitting machines, Memminger-Iro Gmbh with over 50 years of experience in this sector, are now seen as a trendsetter that sets standards that others are eager to follow. This international group sells its products in more than 100 countries.

At the ITMA show, Memminger was present

with its Spray Lubricator PROJECTILE ELF, Yarn Sensor MIS, Knitting Machine Controller NAVIGATOR and Needle Controller MNC 2, as the latest innovations. All four products being one of a kind, the most outstanding was the Knitting Machine Controller NAVIGATOR because of its ability to monitor knitting machine from a remote location that too with detailed information. The NAVIGATOR is a modular system specifically for running a large diameter knitting machine. If all machines in a knitting room

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Italy-based Euro Mec, water treatment plants introduced

their revolutionary technology ‘Brine Rec’ at the recently concluded ITMA. The patented technology is a waste water management system that recovers salt (Brine) directly from the dye-bath, by doing so the solution gives users the advantage of not only reusing salt again and again but also reducing the load of the effluent treatment and water recovery plant. A well-designed dye house can even eliminate the reverse osmosis plant.

At a time when sustainability is the key for growth, the new technology is a boon to the industry. The technology can also be installed to a single dyeing machine and save on both capital and operational costs. Consuming energy of 8-10 kWh/m3, the technology also ensures heat recovery

of up to 60 kWh/m3, besides giving reject waste of less than 15%. “A dye bath consists of three basic elements – colour, salts and heat of up to 90°C, by installing the Brine Rec there is substantial reduction of TDS and COLOR in waste water, which is very useful in waste water management,” says Pranay Behl of Janaksons Group, the India Partner of Euro Mec, Italy.

A combination of our waste water treatment, recovery system and ‘Brine Rec’ ensures water recovery of up to 99% that too without the expensive evaporation process with the help of a proprietary membrane system offered by us. “Since the dirty elements in the water like colour and

salt are almost removed from the waste water at the initial stage, the load on the ETP plant is reduced substantially,” reasons Pranay. The technology has already been installed in Europe with great success.

Janaksons is bringing the technology into India and believes that it will be a major hit with the industry. “Environment issues cannot be neglected, but the running cost is a constraint, but with this breakthrough technology, which is tried and tested, dye houses can save on salt consumption and also expenses on ETP as water going to the ETP plants is relatively cleaner,” argues Pranay.

The ETP units from Janaksons – Euro Mec are based on biological oxidation and the specialty of this technology is that it removes the toxicity, eating away the impurities of the water instead of transforming them into a solid form like a standard conventional plant. Further, the sludge produced in a physical chemical plant is 3 times more than the sludge produced in a biological one because of the use of bacteria that eats away a lot of impurities. “The USP is the low running cost as there are no chemicals added and the waste produced is bio-degradable,” says Pranay.

With a team of trained engineers and around 20 ETP plant installations in India over the last 8 years, Pranay is confident that Janaksons is best equipped as a group to handle waste water management.

Team Janaksons with the Euro Mec delegation

Janaksons brings ‘Brine Rec’ technology from EURO MEC to India Technology recovers salt directly from Dye-bath

At a time when sustainability is the key for growth, the 'Brine Rec' technology is a boon to the industry. A combination of our waste water treatment, recovery system and ‘Brine Rec’ ensures water recovery of up to 99 per cent.

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handle thicker and heavier yarns while preventing sag, and difficult-to-knit fancy yarns can be knit with consistent quality.

“The SIR122-SV 7G was shown for the first time at ITMA, and is expected to replace the NSSG and NSIG. It has a maximum knitting speed of 1.4m/sec and is aimed at versatile and consistent production,” comments Ashwani Behl, MD, Janaksons International, the Indian partners for Shima Seiki. It has the newly developed highly efficient compact carriage and R2CARRIAGE system. Furthermore with such proven features as DSCS (Digital Stitch Control System), spring-type sinker system, stitch presser, yarn gripper and cutter, takedown comb and sub-roller as well as an intarsia option, SIR122 is a proven recipe for versatile and consistent, high-quality production.

The SSR112 was originally Shima Seiki’s answer to the demands of emerging markets which are currently undergoing a very fast paced transition from hand-flat machines to computerized flat knitting machines. To keep up with such demands, all aspects involved in machine-building were re-evaluated, resulting in an all-new machine that not only realizes high cost-performance, but offers a completely new perception of value. Despite its tremendous economic value, SSR112 retains such proven innovations as spring-type sinkers and stitch presser for versatility, maximum knitting speed of 1.2m/sec and R2CARRIAGE for high productivity, and DSCS for quality and consistency. Even more value comes from

the fact that SSR112 customers can expect the same Made-In-Japan quality and durability common to all Shima Seiki products.

Another key focus area for Shima Seiki was speeding the sampling process, particularly for advanced economies, to allow them to offer a more diverse range of garments. “We need to help the consumer markets which need to rely on multiple variety and small lot production – requiring a lot of sampling – but they have less time for this. For complementing the same, the SDS-ONE APEX 3 design system has been developed which cuts sampling time to one hundredth of what it was before, i.e. what used to take 50 hours could now take 30 minutes,” said Dr Masahiro Shima. At ITMA, a special display invited visitors to compare virtual samples with real ones; even challenging them to guess which one is real. SDS-ONE APEX 3 also features new 3D software and Knit Paint programming software, the latter containing the know-how of experienced technicians.

With complete system integration from

planning, production to sales promotion and retail sales, Japan based Shima Seiki has been dedicating its products and services to the knitting industry worldwide through the latest in computerized knitting technology.

Dr Masahiro Shima, the Company President representing Shima Seiki at ITMA, commented, “In the past 50 years many situations have changed drastically. Production has transferred from labour intensive operations and processes to more sophisticated and technology orientated methods. Further, the Asian economy has seen rising labour rates and a smaller labour force so the market is getting more similar to advanced markets with common solutions applying to everybody. So we have to present many options for the knitting industry so the different areas can survive alongside each other.”

Among the many outstanding innovations displayed at their booth, the SWG-FIRST154 S21 was claimed to be the first flat knitting machine which can perform shaping in 21 gauge, but Model SCG122SN, Model SIR112SV which replaced NSSG & the Economy Model SSR112SV too were exceptional. The company presented SCG122SN 3G for coarse gauge shaped knitting and a prototype 14G featuring an adaptation of 4-bed technology and 2-loop presser beds mounted above the front and back needle-beds. With the SlideNeedle, spring-type sinker system and double racking mechanism, SCG122SN can produce bold and interesting designs can be produced with the look and feel associated with hand-knit garments. The 3G machine on display at ITMA is capable of producing fabrics with texture in the 2G-4G range. The optional i-DSCS (Digital Stitch Control Device with Intelligence) with DTC (Dynamic Tension Control) can

Dr Masahiro Shima, the Company President and Ashwani Behl, MD, Janaksons International with Rajesh Mehra, Director, Active Clothing, Mohali (in centre).

Shima Seiki fulfilling diverse flat knitting requirements

Since its commercial introduction in 1995, Shima Seiki has been the undisputed leader in WHOLEGARMENT® knitting technology with over 25 years of ongoing research and over 15 years of proprietary field experience and know-how, not to mention over 150 patents worldwide. In 2005, the company celebrated the 10th Anniversary of WHOLEGARMENT® technology.

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Dr. A. Reinfelder, MD of Groz-Beckert Asia P Ltd., with Rajesh Bihani, MD Rajasthan International

inaugurated at the company’s headquarters in Albstadt. The Groz-Beckert Academy and its users also benefit in numerous ways from the TEZ – because in addition to alternative training locations near the international textile centres, all training courses can also take place directly at the TEZ.

Introducing the academy at the fair claimed Dr. A. Reinfelder, MD of Groz-Beckert Asia P Ltd., “The initiative is distinctive for its hands-on practicality, experienced trainers and the fact that it covers the complete spectrum offered by its Technology and Development Centre (TEZ). Earlier the company had been carrying out training courses and seminars on request only.

The Technology and Development Centre also contains five Competence Centres including Technical Centres for the most important technologies in textile fabric production. They are equipped with machines and plant technology close to production, whether for process experiments or for prototype and special series production. The result is a maximum of hands-on practical training for every single course. Furthermore, there is support from a high-powered laboratory at the TEZ. Here, under the heading of “Laboratory Services”, Groz-Beckert realizes diverse services ranging from damage analysis and chemical analysis to materials consulting and development.

Responding to the urgent need for trained

manpower, Groz-Beckert for the first time launched a comprehensive training programme under its Groz-Beckert Academy for the benefit of textile industry at the recently concluded ITMA in Barcelona.

Founded in 1852, Groz-Beckert offers a wide product range in needles for knitting, weaving, needling, tufting and sewing industry. As a partner to leading textile machine manufacturers and users, Groz-Beckert also offers numerous services that help its customers to keep their costs down on a sustainable, long-term basis. These range from targeted applications consulting and laboratory services to the production of short runs and special series. The new Groz-Beckert Academy rounds off the company’s range of services.

In July 2010 the Technology and Development Centre (TEZ) was officially

Groz-Beckert begins Comprehensive Training Programme for Textile Industry

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Keeping pace with industry needs garment manufacturing machines that are today equipped with ultra-modern features which have resulted in time saving and improved uninterrupted functioning. Automatic replacement of an empty bobbin to a filled one is one such advancement which has proved its usefulness in the continuous running of the machines. Such machines may be standard single needle lockstitch machines, zigzag stitchers, button attachment, button hole machines, automatic pocket setters, embroidery machines or quilting machines, etc. These advancements provide a viable solution to frequent machine stoppages and productivity loss due to thread runout in bobbin. In the fourth article of the series on patents, authors Manoj Tiwari, Assistant Professor, NIFT, Gandhinagar and Dr. Prabir Jana, Professor, NIFT, Delhi have discussed the technological interventions done in the field of Automatic Bobbin Changers.

Patents in Garment IndustryTechnology in Automatic Bobbin Changer Boosts Productivity

needing approximately 40 replacements in an 8-hour shift resulting in loss of work time of around 30 minutes. Though the majority of sewing machines are equipped with bobbin thread winder and filled bobbins can be kept ready as reserved for replacement as needed, still there is need of manual intervention in replacing the empty bobbin. There have been continuous efforts in the direction of automated bobbin replacement and many of them are now commercially used, however automatic bobbin changing is

still considered as a relatively less explored area.

In the conventional method, the bobbin replacement in the sewing machine is done manually for which the machine has to be stopped causing loss of productivity and at the same time affecting the operator’s concentration.

One of the initial developments in this area was done by Ivanhoe Research Corporation, USA way back in 1968, for which a patent (US Patent No. 3376838) was awarded for developing Bobbin Changer for Sewing

Bobbin thread is one integral element for

sewing, playing an important role in maintaining quality of the product and higher productivity. Regular interruptions in the sewing operation due to running out of bobbin thread are a common scenario on the sewing floor as bobbins have limited thread storage capacity. While a single needle sewing machine bobbin has approximately 60 metres (thread storage for 120 ticket number thread) which takes around 10 minutes to empty (at approximately 2200 SPM),

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Machines. The developed device equipped with a magazine, which stores the filled bobbins with bobbin cases was suitable to be used in the conventional sewing machines. In the process a carrier was used to take out the empty bobbin from the bobbin holder and replaced by a filled bobbin from the magazine. The bobbin replacement mechanism was controlled electrically by actuating the different operating components in a sequence.

Figure 1, outlines how the threaded bobbins with bobbin case are arranged in the magazine (a tubular container) and are kept aligned with the help of a coil spring fixed at one end of the container. The filled bobbins with bobbin case are received by the carrier at one end of the magazine. The carrier includes an opening which receives the filled bobbins from the

magazine and is kept aligned in the correct position with the help of a metal strip. When the carrier moves towards the bobbin holder, the opening of the magazine is kept closed by the same strip to prevent the next bobbin assembly in the magazine from coming out. On the other end, at the opening of the bobbin holder, a hook is provided to transfer the bobbin assembly from the carrier to the bobbin holder by engaging itself to the latch of the bobbin. The hook is activated with the help of fluid controlled pistons operating in cylinders fitted on the machine frame. To remove the used bobbins from holder, a set of air jets are used.

The complete mechanism is basically a series of events controlled by three switches: Switch 1 for solenoid control to actuate the carrier as it moves from the magazine to the holder and back; Switch 2 for controlling pivoting

movements of the transfer towards and away from the holder; and Switch 3 is for actuating the reciprocation of hook to engage the latch of the bobbin and inserting it into the holder.

J. P. Stevens & Co. Inc., USA developed a Magnetic Automatic Bobbin Changer for Sewing Machines that was awarded patent (US Patent No. 3981256) in 1976. As shown in Figure 2, a magazine full of bobbin casings (filled bobbin and cases) is attached and positioned to the sewing machine.

In the device a cross slide bar was equipped with two magnets put at definite positions, in such a way that in one position one magnet was aligned with the magazine and the other was in front of the sewing machine bobbin holder. The magnets could be moved forward with the help of fluid operated actuators. When the

bobbin was exhausted, both the magnets moved forward — one towards the bobbin holder and another towards magazine — to retract the exhausted and filled bobbin from bobbin holder and magazine, respectively. After retracting the bobbins, the magnets move back and the cross slide moves forward stopping at a position where the filled bobbin is adjacent to the bobbin holder. Then the magnet was pushed forward to deliver the filled bobbin, while the empty bobbin was withdrawn by the stripping plate and sent for rewinding through a chute. At the end of the process the cross slides move back to the initial position and ready for the next cycle.

In the year of 1977, Automatech Industries Inc. was awarded a patent (US Patent No. 4002130) for Automatic Bobbin Rewinding for Sewing Machines. The

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Figure 1: Bobbin changer for sewing machines Figure 2: Magnetic automatic bobbin changer

A standard sewing machine bobbin has approximately 60 metres of thread storage, which takes around 10 minutes to empty 2200 SPM, requiring near-about 40 replacements in an 8-hour shift resulting in loss of work time of around 30 minutes.

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mechanism was capable of replacing the used bobbin with the newer one in the machine as well as winding of the thread on the exhausted bobbin. To maintain the continuity of the sewing operation, rewinding of the filled bobbin was done when one bobbin was in use. Some special features of the device were the capability of unwinding the leftover thread in the used bobbin before start of winding of new thread and keeping the newly inserted bobbin thread engaged to the sewing element to minimize the manual intervention.

While doing stitching on a belt of predetermined length, one cannot afford to have a join in stitching in-between, and in case the bobbin gets exhausted half way the entire stitching needs to be ripped off and a new stitching needs to be done after changing the bobbin. This is clearly a huge wastage of time, money and a big productivity loss. The solution to this problem was simply calculating the thread required for one piece and determine the number of units that can be completed from thread

wound in a single bobbin, based on which the timing for automatically changing the bobbin can be set. Based on this logic two developments are patented. First was Levi Strauss & Company, USA (US Patent No. 3744442) in 1973. The device contained a cylindrical container having plurality of bobbins in a circular way. With help of a cycling mechanism, the cylindrical container could be rotated pushing the required bobbin to shuttle position to be used in stitching. To engage and disengage the cycling mechanism from the main drive of the sewing machine, a clutch was provided, which could be regulated by the control system based on the counting of stitches while sewing.

The second patent was in 1980 to the Gateway Industries, Inc. USA (US Patent No. 4223618).

In the invention the unlatching of the bobbin from the shuttle in the sewing machine and substituting the same with a filled bobbin casing is initiated automatically after a predetermined number of sewing operations are done.

As shown in Figure 3, to take out the bobbin casing from the sewing machine, a latching lever is provided with a hook and a free end of a plunger. Then the removed bobbin assembly is transferred into the cavity/bobbin receptacle (Space to accommodate the bobbin casing) in a magazine. The magazine or cartridge, which is like a linear shape hollow bar, has at least one empty cavity to receive the latest used bobbin and a series of filled bobbins ready for use in a series. After receiving the used bobbin the magazine is shifted linearly in such a way that a fresh ready to be used bobbin in the magazine comes in alignment with the plunger and the shuttle shaft in the sewing machine. Then the plunger is actuated by means of a pneumatic piston in the direction to push the new bobbin casing into the shuttle of the sewing machine.

Bar-Cochva, Y. Sadeh and Y. Makover from Israel were awarded patent (US Patent No. 5143004) in 1992 for developing Sewing Apparatus including Automatic Bobbin Reloading device. The device based on optically sensing the bobbin

and replacing it with a filled bobbin to resume sewing was simple in construction and could be fitted in an industrial sewing machine. The device was unique in terms of automatically reloading the bobbin whenever there was thread breakage or the bobbin was exhausted.

As shown in Figure 4, the walls of the bobbins are having optical sensing strips. To make the sensing easy and accurate, the colours of the strips were kept in contrast to the colour of the bobbin wall. The optical sensors aligned with the opening, are positioned in front of the bobbin wall to sense these strips. When the bobbin rotates, it generates the pulse, which indicates a rotating bobbin, at the same time the rate of this pulse indicates the rotational velocity of the bobbin. Whenever there is any interruption in the rotation either due to thread breakage or when the bobbin is exhausted; the sensor which is connected to a control unit gets activated to extract the used bobbin and reload a filled bobbin. The bobbin extracting and reloading

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Figure 3: Bobbin latching and plunger assembly Figure 4: Sewing apparatus including automatic bobbin reloading

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plurality of bobbin casings (Eight Bobbin Casings) along its circumference. Based on manual selection the empty bobbin assembly (bobbin and bobbin case) can be replaced with a filled bobbin assembly. As shown in the Figure 5, a cassette drive member is provided to rotate the cassette and to move it into the exchangeable position. A chuck member is provided to take the exhausted bobbin casing off from the machine and place it in one of the empty locations in the cassette, taking off the filled bobbin from the cassette and finally putting it into the sewing machine. The rotary cassette is fixed on a support plate by means of a rotary disc and index shaft.

Juki Corporation, Japan was awarded a patent (US Patent No. 5718181) in the year 1998 for inventing a Bobbin Exchanger. The device was unique in terms of lesser moving parts (less complex yet compact design), free movement and accuracy while supplying the bobbin. Adding to it an ordinary bobbin casing which is capable of being attached to most of the brands of sewing machines. Unlike the other devices (as discussed in previous patents), this device was free of grippers or clutches at the end of the arm hence it not only saves space but makes the device easy for maintenance.

The device is equipped with automatic thread removing as well as thread winding devices, which can be fitted on the sewing machine itself. As shown in Figure 6, the device consists of a base plate attached under the machine base. A carrier shaft which is parallel to

the rotary shaft is fitted to the base plate. A gear is provided at one end of the rotary shaft and connected to one smaller gear, called motor gear. The motor gear receives drive from a motor capable of both forward and reverse directions. A carrier arm is also fitted to the rotary shaft, having a holder with grip mechanism at one end facing to the shuttle. To move the carrier arm up and down while loading and ejecting the bobbin, a rack and pinion arrangement is provided with help of a collar fitted with the rotary shaft. On the arc of the carrier arm, three additional mechanisms are also provided, which are named as B, C and F for Bobbin holding, Bobbin rewinding and Bobbin residual thread removing, respectively. At the initial stage, an operator puts 2 filled bobbins at B and F positions. When starting the sewing operation, the arm takes out the filled bobbin from position B and is inserted into the shuttle. When the bobbin in use is exhausted and has some residual thread, the sewing operation gets interrupted due to which the carrier arm rotates towards the shuttle to take the used bobbin out with help of the gripping mechanism installed in the holder. The carrier arm moves with the empty bobbin from shuttle to the position B and inserts it there. The arm then moves upward and rotates towards position F to collect the filled bobbin. The arm grips the bobbin at F and moves with the filled bobbin to the shuttle. Once the filled bobbin is inserted the sewing resumes; the arm moves again towards position B and takes out used bobbin from B and moves it to F. If

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Figure 5: Thread exchanger device for sewing machine

Figure 6: Bobbin exchanger with thread unwinding and winding devices

apparatus is equipped with an arm carrying an electromagnetic head. The arm is pneumatically operated and can rotate 180° with extracted bobbin casing. The arm takes out the bobbin casing from the machine and moves it to the bobbin rewinder installed nearby. The bobbin rewinder has two stations fitted on a rotatable bobbin holder turret, one is for receiving the exhausted bobbin and another is for filled/rewound bobbin. The exhausted bobbin is brought to the upper position and then the turret rotates for 180° in such a way that the filled bobbin is positioned to be

collected by the arm and the exhausted bobbin moves to lower position for rewinding. The arm extracts the filled bobbin from the second station and moves to load it in the sewing machine.

Haruhiko Kinoshita from Japan can be named as the breakthrough inventor in the field of Automatic Bobbin Exchangers. In the year 1998, Kinoshita was awarded patent (US Patent No. 5775243) for developing Thread Exchanger Device for Sewing Machine.

The Thread Exchanger that can be fitted on an industrial sewing machine is equipped with a cassette having

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there is residual thread in the bobbin at F; the thread removing mechanism gets actuated thereafter the same empty bobbin is taken out by the arm and moved to position C for thread winding. Once the thread winding is done, the filled bobbin is transferred to the position B and the bobbin is ready for the next loading into the shuttle. At the time of the next sewing interruption, the used bobbin is taken out by the carrier arm and fitted into the position F for residual thread removing. In the mean time carrier arm takes out filled bobbin from position B and takes it to the shuttle. In this way the complete replenishment of used bobbin to the filled one takes place.

In the year 2001, Kinoshita Precision Industrial, Japan invented a Remote Control Bobbin Case Exchanger device and got a patent (US Patent No. 6170417, B1) for the same. The device is useful where availability of the filled bobbins is not possible within the reach of the operator and also in multi head industrial embroidery sewing machines, where pluralities of bobbins (6 to 15 bobbins in number) are used simultaneously. The main objective of the device is to provide a remote control bobbin case exchanger capable of readily

exchanging bobbin cases, where the rotary bobbin is placed inaccessibly.

As shown in Figure 7, the device consists of pneumatically controlled assembly having a chuck and chuck driving member, which slides under a horizontal cam groove to carry the exhausted bobbin and take the filled bobbin from the rotary drive device. The rotary drive is equipped with a case mounting member having plurality of bobbins. The to-and-fro movement of the chuck member is controlled by the pneumatic cylinders. The rotation of the rotary drive having case mounting member is controlled by a rack and pinion arrangement.

In the year 2007, Tokai Kogyo Mishin Kabushiki Kaisha and Kinoshita Precision Industrial Co., Japan were awarded the patent (US Patent No. 0056490, A1) for developing Bobbin Exchanger Apparatus for Sewing Machine. The device is equipped with a detachable transferring mechanism for carrying bobbin grasping device from shuttle of the sewing machine to the bobbin stock section from a distance and can be used for multi head embroidery sewing machines. The transfer mechanism consists of two cams designed in such a way that one cam is part of a sewing machine and another can be fitted with the extension of sewing table.

Figure 7: Remote control bobbin case exchanger device

1968 (US Patent No. 3376838) – This was one of the initial developments in this area done by Ivanhoe Research Corporation, USA for developing bobbin changer for sewing machines. The developed device was suitable to be used in the conventional sewing machines.

1973 (US Patent No. 3744442) – The development done by Levi Strauss & Company, USA contained a cylindrical container having plurality of bobbins in a circular way for filled bobbin supply.

1976 (US Patent No. 3981256) – J. P. Stevens & Co. Inc., USA developed magnetic automatic bobbin changer for sewing machines where a magazine full of bobbin casings (filled bobbin and cases) is attached and positioned to the sewing machine. A cross slide bar equipped with two magnets at definite positions.

1977 (US Patent No. 4002130) – Automatech Industries Inc. developed the automatic bobbin rewinding for the sewing machines. The mechanism was capable of replacing the used bobbin to the newer one in the machine as well as winding of the thread on the exhausted bobbin.

1980 (US Patent no. 4223618) – Automatic bobbin changer and apparatus for a sewing machine developed by the Gateway Industries Inc., USA. The device was particularly aimed at automatic changing the bobbin after a definite time interval or cycles.

1992 (US Patent No. 5143004) – Bar-Cochva, Y. Sadeh and Y. Makover from Israel developed sewing apparatus including automatic bobbin reloading based on optically sensing the bobbin and replacing it with a filled bobbin to resume sewing.

1998 (US Patent No. 5775243) – Haruhiko Kinoshita from Japan developed automatic bobbin exchangers and was awarded patent for developing thread exchanger device for standard single needle sewing machine.

1998 (US Patent No. 5718181) – Juki Corporation, Japan developed a unique a bobbin exchanger with lesser moving parts (less complex yet compact design), free movement and accuracy while supplying the bobbin.

2001 (US Patent No. 6170417 B1) – Kinoshita Precision Industrial, Japan invented a remote control bobbin case exchanger. The device was in fact a remote control bobbin case exchanger capable of readily exchanging bobbin cases, where the rotary bobbin is placed inaccessibly.

2007 (US Patent No. 0056490 A1) – Tokai Kogyo Mishin Kabushiki Kaisha and Kinsoshita Precision Industrial Co., Japan developed bobbin exchanger apparatus with detachable transferring mechanism for sewing machine useful for multi-head embroidery sewing machines.

Chronology of Patents in Automatic Bobbin Changer

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Commercial Applications

There are many commercially successful applications in this area of automatic bobbin change or exchange. Although patent numbers are not revealed by any brands, technology was similar to those described above and majority are used for quilting, embroidery other cycle sewing machines.

ROBO Quilter from ABM International is one such machine which is equipped with an automatic bobbin exchanger. The ROBO Quilter catalogue claims that this is the only machine available with a fully automatic bobbin exchanger. The machine monitors the number of products sewn from the bobbin and whenever bobbin is exhausted, it is exchanged with a new filled bobbin. Eight bobbins can be accommodated by the cartridge, which can be filled manually by the operator.

replacement shifts from the rotary hook (which is inside the machine) to the table front. This drastically reduces the labour work. It is claimed by the company that bobbin replacement time can be reduced by 4.5 minutes/day, by 95 minutes compared with 100 minutes by manual replacement for 16 working hours per day.

The SMBC (Super Micro Bobbin Changer) 2000 device from Kinoshita can be retrofitted to normal lock stitch sewing machines, zigzag sewing machines, cyclic sewing machines (button hole and button attach) and embroidery machines. When the bobbin is about to be exhausted, the remaining thread is detected and displayed in terms of percentage (%) and after a particular level based on the preset value, the bobbin is replaced automatically.

JUKI’s AVP-875A (Automatic Pocket Setter for Jeans) is equipped with Automatic bobbin winding and feeding device named AW-2. The AW-2 can execute all steps of the bobbin replacement (removal, unwinding of remaining thread, thread rewinding and installation of filled bobbin) and the manual work and time consumed in the bobbin replacement can be completely eliminated. An increase of 10% in the production capacity due to usage of AW-2 is claimed in the machine catalogue.

Tajima’s UBC-II commercially useful Bobbin changer is capable of replacing the bobbins of all heads of the embroidery machine with a single push button. It allows the presetting of bobbins under the head even while machine is functioning, also the location of bobbin

Kinoshita has developed various automatic bobbin changers compatible for different machine makes such as Juki, Brother, Pfaff and Mitsubishi, etc.

ZSK from Germany is another major make of automatic bobbin changer especially for embroidery machines. The pneumatically operated Bobbin Changer can be used irrespective of number of heads in the machine for varied distance of heads as well as for varied thread count. The bobbin changer has capacity of seven bobbins at a time and eighth position is for empty bobbin. The magazine/revolver can be fitted or replaced easily by hand without using any special tool. It is claimed in the ZSK bobbin changer that it takes only 15 seconds in bobbin changing and productivity is increased by 15%.

Automatic Bobbin Exchanger for ROBO Quilter. Courtesy: ABM ROBO Quilter Brochure, ABM International Inc.

Automatic Bobbin Winding and Feeding Cycle for JUKI AVP-875A with AW-2 (Automatic Pocket Setter for Jeans Courtesy: JUKI AVP-875A Brochure,JUKI Corporation

Kinoshita SMBC (Super Micro Bobbin Changer) 2000. Courtesy: Kinoshita Auto Bobbin Changer Catalogue, Kinoshita Precision Industrial Co. Ltd., Japan

ZSK Automatci Bobbin Changer. Courtesy: ZSK Auto Bobbin Changer Catalogue, ZSK STICKMASCHINEN GMBH

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